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Media Kit
Cats Aren’t Trophies & The Wild Animal Sanctuary
The Cats Aren’t Trophies coalition and The Wild Animal Sanctuary are grateful to our professional, hard-working Colorado media for their coverage of our important ballot measure, which will end the cruel and inhumane trophy hunting of mountain lions for their heads and fur trapping of bobcats for their beautiful coats.
Links and Tools
Zoom Link to attend as media and ask questions after speeches. For those members of the professional Colorado media who cannot attend in person:
Join Zoom Meeting
Aug 9, 2024 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
https://zoom.us/j/93366554456?pwd=7c5f0wOwlJIJ7H3yONyZRPJH9LvEPT.1
Meeting ID: 933 6655 4456
Passcode: 379537
Link for This is NOT Conservation, a video which will be played at the press conference.
AGENDA
Contact Julie Marshall for full text of speeches at juliem@catsarenttrophies.org
Samantha Miller, emcee, Campaign Director for Cats Aren’t Trophies, Grand County resident
- Pat Craig, founder of The Wild Animal Sanctuary, is beloved by Coloradans and lauded as the leader in protecting big cats once harmed by humans. Pat was featured on 60 minutes in July as the “go-to” guy for high-stakes rescues. His sanctuary is the largest one for big cats in the world. Born in Colorado, Pat is a hometown hero.
- J Dallas Gudgell, Wildlife and Tribal Policy Director, for the International Wildlife Coexistence Network, which is also among the 100 wildlife conservation organizations endorsing CATs. Gudgell is an experienced environmental scientist and member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. He is originally from the Fort Peck Reservation.
- Erik Molvar is an avid elk hunter and wildlife biologist. He has published science on wildlife conservation planning and population ecology and was managing editor for the official interagency commemorative book for the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.
- Dr. Valerie Johnson, DVM, PhD, one of three Big Cat veterinarians, working at The Wild Animal Sanctuary.
- Rep. Tammy Story, serves as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing District 25. She serves on the House Education Committee and Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee.
- Mickey Pardo, PhD, is a Colorado conservation biologist and ecologist. Dr. Pardo’s scientific work has been widely featured in the New York Times, NPR, National Geographic, Scientific American, and the BBC.
- Dr. Christine Capaldo, DVM, is a veterinarian in Southwestern Colorado with experience working with big cats and training at various sanctuaries regarding carnivore behavior and medical care. She has a special interest in feline medicine.
- Deanna Meyer, is a Colorado goat and chicken rancher tending to family land abutting public forest lands, and in lion country.
- Delia Malone is Wildlife Chair, Colorado Sierra Club, which is the state chapter of one of the true leading wildlife conservation groups of Colorado and one of 100 organizations officially endorsing CATs. Malone is a working field ecologist and also a member of the Sierra Club’s Roaring Fork Group’s Executive Committee and vice-chair of Roaring Fork Audubon, which is one of six Audubon Societies also endorsing CATs.
About the Speakers
Samantha Miller
emcee
Samantha Miller is a rural Coloradan who serves as the Campaign Manager for Cats Aren’t Trophies (CATs). With a Master of Public Policy focusing on environmental issues, Samantha has dedicated her career to enhancing protections for native carnivores and curbing unethical hunting and trapping practices. She is a member of Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue and Backcountry Horsemen of Colorado.
Pat Craig
Pat was born in Colorado and has built four sanctuaries. The Wild Animal Sanctuary totals over 33,000 acres of safe haven for more than 750 large carnivores — lions, tigers, and grizzly bears, along with mountain lions, wolves, jaguars, cheetahs, and many other species—rescued from abusive or illegal conditions.
“Trophy hunters, who are often wealthy outsiders, come to Colorado in order to hire guides and unleash packs of dogs to chase and harass these innocent animals to their demise.”
“Let’s be clear: mountain lions and bobcats are not a food source as many callous individuals like to suggest. Instead, they are hunted solely for their heads and beautiful coats.”
J Dallas Gudgell
“As an Indigenous person concerned with and raised in a framework of right relationship with the natural world, I find trophy hunting and egocentric activity upends nature’s natural balance. I support the people’s right to participate in the Democratic process to protect wild cats from senseless use.”
“As 2-leggeds we must recognize that we are a part of the natural world too and not separate from it. It is our responsibility as humans to recognize, honor and maintain our balance in the natural world and to coexist with our non-human relatives. And allow them to play their natural role in this balance.”
Erik Molvar
Erik Molvar is an avid elk, deer, pronghorn, caribou hunter, who supports the CATs measure, because as he says, mountain lion and bobcat hunting using dogs and traps is cheating and doesn’t deserve respect from hunters or the general public. Molvar is a wildlife biologist and Executive Director of Western Watersheds. He has published science on wildlife conservation planning, ecology and population dynamics and was managing editor for the official interagency commemorative book for the 50thAnniversary of the Wilderness Act.
“Hunting for big cats is trophy hunting, pure and simple. It’s to bring home a trophy…That doesn’t respect the quarry, which is one of the fundamental principles of hunting ethics, so it doesn’t deserve any particular respect by the general public, either. It’s time to end practices like cat hunting and trapping, which are an embarrassment to legitimate hunters.”
“Running mountain lions for miles with multiple dogs until they retreat into a tree, and then shooting them, that’s not fair chase. The prey animal doesn’t have a fair chance to escape, and hunters aren’t taking the quarry using their own skill and knowledge. Catching lynx or bobcats in traps isn’t sporting either, because baiting an animal into a hidden trap using scents or meat as bait is unfair and underhanded. We don’t allow the baiting of elk and deer with salt blocks, because it’s cheating. We shouldn’t allow cats to be baited for the same reasons.”
Dr. Valerie Johnson, DVM, PhD
Dr. Johnson, PhD, is a critical care veterinarian with a PhD from Colorado State University who has a long history of working at The Wild Animal Sanctuary.
“(Mountain lion trophy hunters of Colorado) are in the same vein as the people who pay money to go to Africa and cut the tusks off elephants, the same as people who pay large amounts of money to go to Africa to kill exotic animals just for the sake of killing.”
“Suffering of kittens born to mothers killed for pleasure ensuring that the kittens die of starvation and dehydration is still suffering.”
Representative Tammy Story
Rep. Tammy Story serves as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing District 25. She serves on the House Education Committee and Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee.
“I have seen mountain lions and bobcats in the wild, on my property, multiple times over nearly 40 years in Colorado. Throughout my adult life, I have continually voiced my opposition to the trophy hunting of wildlife, including Mountain Lions and Bobcats. The cruel killing of these animals for their fur coats and heads is just plain wrong. Currently, this isn’t illegal in Colorado and this ballot initiative is the next vitally important step towards needed change.”
“By passing this ballot initiative we can finally put an end to these cruel, unnecessary killings. Join me in supporting this initiative, and I can’t wait to see this pass in November!”
Mickey Pardo, PhD
Mickey Pardo is a Colorado ecologist and conservation biologist, and conducts research on wildlife behavior and applied wildlife ecology. He has authored nine peer-reviewed publications and worked closely with both government agencies and NGOs to facilitate wildlife conservation. Dr. Pardo’s scientific work has been widely featured in major media outlets such at the New York Times, NPR, National Geographic, Scientific American, and the BBC.
“As a biologist who has been studying wildlife for over 15 years, I support the CATs ballot measure to ban trophy hunting and trapping of wild cats in Colorado. The scientific evidence is clear that hunting these animals is completely unnecessary and the methods used to hunt them are exceptionally cruel.”
“Bobcats are typically caught in traps, where they suffer for hours or even days before being shot, bludgeoned, or strangled to death by the trapper. Bobcat trapping in Colorado is very loosely regulated and is done primarily for commercial purposes, with trappers selling bobcat furs to luxury fashion companies. This flies in the face of the North American Model of wildlife management.”
Dr. Christine Capaldo, DVM
Dr. Capaldo is a veterinarian in Southwestern Colorado with experience working with big cats and training at various sanctuaries regarding carnivore behavior and medical care. She has a special interest in feline medicine.
“Allowing unlimited numbers of bobcats to be killed every year in Colorado isn’t about any type of wildlife biology management, it’s about greed, trophies, the despicable fur trade to China, and a complete disregard for the welfare of wildlife.”
“Colorado’s native wild cats are not for sale and we will not tolerate this cruelty. Let’s get out of the 1800s and join the other states and nations that don’t allow bobcat or mountain lion hunting. In November, join me and my community in voting YES to protect Colorado cats.”
Deanna Meyer
Deanna was born and raised in Colorado and runs her organic farm raising goats and chickens. Deanna’s family cares deeply about Colorado and they live on land that encompasses an elk calving ground that they have placed in a conservation easement. Protecting wildlife and land is her passion and she knows that cats aren’t trophies.
“One Christmas Day two years ago, I followed the sounds, finding six dogs who treed a terrified bobcat on my land. I was infuriated when I found out that there was nothing I could do. If this initiative passes, it will end this harassment and protect lions and bobcats who aren’t causing conflicts with humans.”
“Passing this initiative will give CPW the legal tools to focus on protecting, not killing, these species.”
Delia Malone
Delia Malone works as an ecologist with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. She serves as Wildlife Chair for the Colorado State Chapter of the Sierra Club, which endorses CATs and Executive Committee member of the Roaring Fork Group and vice chair of Roaring Fork Audubon, which is one of six Audubon Societies of Colorado that endorses CATs.
“I’m an ecologist on Colorado’s West Slope where I’ve worked conducting ecological and biological surveys for several decades. …Over all these years I’ve been lucky enough to catch a fleeting glimpse of a cougar only half-a-dozen times or so…although I know, from finding their fresh tracks, scat and kills, that they’ve watched me many, many times. At my home in Redstone which borders roadless area, we’re lucky enough to have a cougar family that has lived in the forest above us for generations – although we occasionally catch a glimpse of mom and cubs – we’ve never had a negative encounter with the cougar family. “
“Not only is the trophy killing of mountain lions ecologically unsustainable, contributing to the downward spiral of the health of our wildlands and the loss of biological diversity, but because trophy killing contradicts the science, it is ethically wrong and should be outlawed.”
Additional Links
About CATs
CATs protects mountain lions, bobcats and lynx of Colorado from ruthless trophy hunting for heads and trapping for fur, while maintaining professional management by Colorado Parks and Wildlife for individual cats that pose a risk to humans and domestic animals, including livestock and pets. CPW has stated its neutrality on the measure, explaining that the agency “will diligently implement all laws passed by the Legislature and the Governor or by the voters.”
The CATs measure is endorsed by nearly 100 animal welfare and wildlife conservation organizations, its broad coalition includes subsistence hunters and humane societies, veterinarians and wildlife biologists.
The Cats Aren’t Trophies website is a great resource, offering more testimonials by big game hunters and scientists, along with peer-reviewed and published science to support CATs, and links to other videos. Please check it out.
Science papers links
Aggressive Trophy Hunting of Mountain Lions May Exacerbate Human Conflicts with Wildlife
Chronic Wasting Disease & the predator cleansing hypothesis PowerPoint
The Economic and Ecological Value of Mountain Lions and Bobcats in the West
Full speeches from the conference are here.
For more information in order to meet deadlines, please contact at any time:
Samantha Miller (970) 531-6720 | Samantha@catsarenttrophies.org
Julie Marshall (720) 255 9831 | JulieM@catsarenttrophies.org
