Mountain Lion Shot in Iowa County, Kill Has People Divided
Debate on Killing Heats Up
Raymond Goebel called everyone from the DNR to the land owner before shooting the cat. He wanted to make sure it was legal to shoot and 40 minutes later he did shoot her. He killed the lion with 1 shot. The estimated weight was 125 pounds. The fact that the mountain lion was a female was unusual for Iowa. There have been males spotted and a few have been killed by vehicles hitting them and by being shot. But this is the first female to have been shot in Iowa in recent modern times.
If you go to the Iowa newspapers or news media and read the comments left about this story, there is a definite divide in the way people think about the shooting of this female mountain lion. Many have criticized the hunter for shooting the cat. Saying that the cat was in the tree for 40 minutes and must not have meant any harm towards humans. Many are irate to think that the mountain lion was killed and will be stuffed and mounted. People say that mountain lions are rare in Iowa and that they should be protected by law.
On the other side of the hotly debated subject are those that applaud the hunter, Raymond Goebel, for taking the time to find out the legality of shooting a mountain lion in Iowa. He did everything right they say. It is not illegal to shoot mountain lions in Iowa. They also say if you are a landowner and have livestock, you might be fine with the decision to kill the mountain lion. These big cats have the capability of killing animals as large as a cow.
The DNR has refuted claims that they have brought mountain lions into Iowa to help control the deer population. But many do not believe that. This cat was checked by the DNR for a tag. None was found. Why would they look for a tag if mountain lions in Iowa are rare and wild?
Male mountain lions travel upwards of 100 miles to stake territory and find a female. With the find of this female and other sightings in Iowa, the mountain lion population may be rebounding.
For pictures www.kcrg.com/news/local/79313477.html
Published by Sherry Tomfeld
Gardening and food preservation are her passion, she has been doing both for 30 years.Working thousands of head of hogs, raising cattle, goats and chickens to being lead cook in a 90 resident nursing home. S... View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentIsn't that the old cat from Beaver Park zoo . I knew it didnt Ray Goebels dad raise that thing ?
The question is whether we value wildlife enough to assume the very small risk involved in this case. The cat was not threatening anybody and there was really no reason to kill it.
Neat story and both points of view are presented. Personally, I wouldn't have shot the beautiful creature for a trophy but I would have shot it if it were attacking livestock, pets, or people.
There was nothing appropriate how this hunter acted. You can't justify taking the life of a majestic creature for no good reason. As everyone in Nebraska knows, they don't hunt in Iowa. They just kill anything they can find and justify it. Like college students working on projects, or fiancées waiting by trucks.
They were looking for a tag, because other states tag them such as here in Nebraska. We tag them because they are only allowed to be killed if they are threatening human populations, by penalty of law. So when a Mountain Lion gets hit by a car in Omaha, we know that 6 months ago it was prowling around Valentine. There is a reason Iowa stands for Idiots Out Wondering Around.
wow what a story!!!
It appears that the Iowa DNR is too stupid to read the Endangered Species Act...
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ECougar/
The killer deserves jail time along with the DNR official incompetent!
It's sad that his penis is so small that he found it necessary to kill an endangered animal!
Wow, what a dilemma.
I would have shot the mountain lion too!!