‘Cruelest in the American West’: Advocates want Nevada trap rules changed to protect mountain lions

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — Wildlife advocates want Nevada to change regulations on trapping to give better protection for mountain lions — the state’s apex predator.

A petition submitted Tuesday to the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners seeks a major change to requirements to check traps, shortening the period to 24 hours. That’s far below current requirements that mandate a 96-hour check.

“Nevada’s 96-hour trap check window is the longest and cruelest in the American West. It’s no wonder that mountain lions lose digits, limbs, and lives in these unchecked devices,” Chris Smith, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians, said in a news release. “The commissioners are charged with protecting wildlife. Department data clearly shows that they are failing to protect mountain lions.”

That data showed at least 278 mountain lions were trapped, leaving 24 dead and 11 injured in the nine years surveyed since 2002: 2002-2004, 2007 and 2010-2015.

“Information from the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) – over 20 years of data – shows that about one of every six mountain lions in Nevada has signs of injury consistent with previous trap or snare encounters,” Don Molde of the Nevada Wildlife Alliance said. “We don’t know how many others die of injuries or starve to death and go undetected. Probably a lot.”

According to NDOW data, only 19% of trappers report their non-target catches.

Advocates want a shorter trap check window — 24 hours, in accordance with recommendations from the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians. They are also seeking a limit on trap sizes, requiring trap-chain swivels, prohibiting drags (attaching traps to rocks, logs, or other moveable objects), and requiring trapper education.

“Given the outsized role that every mountain lion plays in keeping Nevada’s wildlife communities healthy, every mountain lion should be protected to the fullest extent allowed under current state law,” R. Brent Lyles, executive director of the Mountain Lion Foundation, said. “Moreover, beyond the scientific justification for this petition, I think most Nevadans would agree with me that their wildlife commissioners have a moral obligation to protect their mountain lions from injuries and deaths like this that are not just needless but shockingly cruel.”

Mountain lion sightings in Las Vegas aren’t frequent. A sighting was reported in June this year and in 2021-22, there were at least 10 sightings , many that probably involved a single animal on the west edge of the valley. Sightings also occur in the Reno-Carson City area on the edge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The Board of Wildlife Commissioners meets on Nov. 15 in Reno. Advocates expect the commission to hear the petition on that date.

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