Close up portrait of a mountain lion hunting in the North American Sonoran Desert, Arizona. (Photo by: Arterra/Philippe Clément/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
PHOENIX - The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against the Arizona Game and Fish Department to stop mountain lion sport hunting until the state's population stabilizes.
By the numbers:
To show why they are taking legal action, the group highlighted recent state figures.
"The department’s data shows that 1,937 mountain lions were killed by sport hunters from 2018 to 2024, an average of 277 per year. Of these, 54% were kittens younger than 1 year old (518) or pre-reproductive juveniles younger than 2 years old (519). In addition, females made up 41% of mountain lions killed during that period. Research shows that killing more than 20% of adult females in a hunting population can sharply reduce mountain lion numbers," the Center for Biological Diversity said in an Aug. 7 news release.
What they're saying:
Group leaders argue that current state practices violate wildlife protection laws.
"Arizona’s state-sanctioned killing of kittens and juvenile mountain lions is barbaric, unsustainable and illegal," said Robin Silver, Center co-founder and board member. "State law requires the Game and Fish Commission and Department to put science and public trust first rather than the whims of the mountain lion sport hunters and ranchers. It’s time to end this slaughter and ensure that mountain lions will continue to roam the wilds of Arizona into the future."
Dig deeper:
Three independent analyses by wildlife demographic experts—examining seven years of department hunting data—concluded that Arizona’s mountain lion population will sharply decline without lower hunting quotas. The quota for the upcoming season is 340 mountain lions.
The lawsuit claims state officials are failing their legal duty to protect Arizona’s wildlife for the public by allowing unsustainable hunting practices.
What's next:
The mountain lion hunting season begins on Aug. 21.
FOX 10 reached out to Arizona Game and Fish for a statement regarding this lawsuit. It said, "At this point in the process we cannot comment on any pending litigation."