Jacob Vibbert of Cheney, Washington, bagged a lot more than he bargained for on a hunting trip to Alaska's Wrangell Island. The 41-year-old illegally took a mountain lion June 3, according to a report from Your Alaska Link.
"Vibbert was charged with taking the mountain lion during a time when there was no established season or bag limit for hunting the species," it stated.
Mountain lions, cougars, and pumas (they're all the same animal, per A-Z Animals) aren't native to Alaska, but the fearsome felines like to stretch their paws over vast distances. Young males are especially prone to wanderlust. Sometimes mistaken for other cats such as bobcat or lynx, mountain lions have been known to make their way to the Last Frontier, per Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
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Definitely 👍 Alaska's hunting regulations do allow for killing an animal if the person is threatened, but a mountain lion is unlikely to pose a serious risk to a human. Most will simply run away from people, and there have been just 126 attacks by mountain lions in the last century, per A-Z Animals. The case brings up an important conversation about hunting in the state.
Hunting and outdoor recreational activities are important parts of Alaska's heritage and economy. In 2023, outdoor recreation accounted for 4.6% of the economy, double the national average, per Alaska Public Media. Revenue from hunting licenses, game tags, excise taxes, and other sources is particularly important in rural areas of the state, according to Alaska Business.
Responsible hunting also helps maintain a balance in the ecosystem between predators and prey. That's why there are hunting seasons and bag limits; hunting too many animals or taking them at the wrong time is disruptive to species and all the others that depend on them.
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Mountain lions are majestic creatures that perform vital roles in ecosystems stretching from British Columbia to Chile. They interact with almost 500 species, Forests of the Future revealed. In areas with scant resources, including the mountains of the Pacific Northwest during winter, mountain lions sustain many species with the leftovers of their hunts. A research paper described them as "ecological brokers."
"These findings crystallize how pumas keep ecosystems healthy and resilient, playing an invisible but essential role in linking an awesome number of plants and animals via energy and nutrient pathways," one of the study's lead authors and Panthera Puma Program Director Mark Elbroch said of the paper's findings.
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