'Big cat hunting ban' initiative placed on November ballot

DENVER (KDVR) — A ballot initiative that would prohibit the hunting of mountain lions, lynx and bobcats in Colorado has been placed on the November ballot.

According to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office, there were over 187,000 signatures submitted to the office to place the initiative on the ballot. The elections division reviewed a random 5% sample of the submitted signatures and projects the number of valid signatures to be over 110% of what is required.

One group in support of the initiative, "Cats Aren't Trophies," said the initiative will protect the lives of Colorado's big cats, citing that between 500-600 mountain lions are killed by hunters annually. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, a total of 502 mountain lions were taken during various hunting seasons during 2022 ...