The proposition to ban mountain lion hunting in Colorado erodes the fundamental pillars of conservation and removes a viable, healthy food source.
If you are not a hunter, I’m writing to you. And I do it with the utmost respect. Not everyone can, wants to, or should hunt. And that’s totally fine.
While the realities of life and death are impossible to ignore, even many nonhunters subsist on a system that requires the taking of life. Just because you may not see it take place does not mean your food was derived kindly or ethically. Still, choosing not to hunt or taking a moral stance against consuming meat can be respectable and coexist with those who do choose to hunt and eat what they take.
Where this potential to coexist ends, though, is when either side dictates what someone can and can’t eat. It is also crucial to heed decades of effective science and wildlife management. Above all, it is imperative we all speak truth when making choices that can — and will — have massive impacts on others’ way of life.