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The Illinois State Assembly voted to allow inhumane hunting of the recently-endangered bobcat. There's little time to convince Gov. Bruce Rauner to veto the bill. Donate here to help tell Gov. Rauner to veto Illinois' inhumane Bobcat hunting bill.
Friend,
Just as the Illinois Bobcat population is recovering, the State Assembly passed a bill lifting the 40 year hunting and trapping ban. The bill now sits on Governor Bruce Rauner's desk, where he could sign or veto the bill any day.
There is absolutely no reason for the ban to be lifted. No one eats this beautiful species and they pose no risk to public safety or livestock. In fact, they're actually an asset to farmers as their diet mainly consists of rodents who can disrupt crop yields.1
The clock is ticking on the fate of the bobcat. That's why we have to act fast to convince Gov. Rauner to veto this unnecessary cat-killing bill. To get the word out to as many Illinoisans as possible, we want to run a pro-Bobcat ad in Illinois newspapers. And since we need to raise the funds fast, I'll throw in an added bonus -- everyone who donates $75 or more will be entered into a raffle to win a Patagonia travel bag, which was generously donated by the Patagonia Foundation to help us save wildlife like the Bobcat.
Can I count on you to help save the bobcats from inhumane hunting?
Not only would lifting the ban kill dozens of bobcats and destabilize the ecosystem, it would allow for cruel and unnecessary trapping methods like steel-jawed leghold traps. When bobcats get stuck in these traps, they suffer for hours or even gnaw off their own paw to escape the pain. These traps are so inhumane, they've been banned in nine states and eighty countries.2 HB 352 would also allow for a cruel hunting practice known as "hounding," in which packs of radio collared dogs terrify and chase bobcats out into the open where they are shot by hunters. And if the cats are unable to make it up a tree for refuge, they are subject to serious injury. But even if they do make it up a tree, hunters follow radio signal collars to the trees and shoot the cats at point-blank range.
HB 352 was initially voted down, but then a small group of special interests pressured lawmakers to hold the vote again so the bill would pass. And for what? So that a small group of hunters can profit off of the bobcat by selling their fur.2 It makes no sense to bring a species back to the brink of extinction for the benefit of a few -- we just can't allow this to happen.
The Dalai Lama once said, "How can we destroy and play with the lives of animals merely for fun, pleasure and sport? It's unthinkable." I 100 percent agree with His Holiness, and hope you will help me send a message to Gov. Rauner: "Stop Illinois' Inhumane Catcall." Click here to stand with the bobcats and enter for a chance to win a new Patagonia travel bag in the process.
With your help we can kill this horrible bill before it kills bobcats unnecessarily.
Thanks for taking (environmental) action,
Anthony and the Environmental Action Bobcat Brigade
1. Pacelle, Wayne. Letter: Urge Rauner to Veto Bobcat Hunting Bill. The State Journal Register. June 6, 2015.
2. Hagio, Samantha. My View: No Good Reason to Allow Bobcat Hunting in Illinois. Journal Standard. May 19, 2015.
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