A poacher’s trap has left a male cougar trapped by his paw hanging over a tree. This is another painfully awkward video to watch as we see two brave men who take it upon themselves to help free the cougar. Sadly, cougar trapping seasons still legally exist in certain parts of the United States. As many people classify this type of hunting as a sport, so much so that National Geographic has reported in January 2018 that all native eastern cougars were now extinct.
Even though Cougars are a protected animal under the Endangered Species Act. In November of 2007, the federal courts had to reinforce this law as poachers appealed against the banning of poaching in their local area, believing that they should be allowed to hunt on private property.
Due to the severity in the decline of mountain lions and cougars, their appeal was dismissed, and it remained illegal to hunt in those areas. When stepping away from the number of cougars killed every year, the pain and fear is clearly seen in the cougar’s eyes in the video as he attempted to defend himself from the humans he feared.
An endangered species should be a wakeup call for us as humans, as when these animals become extinct there’s no way to get them back and future generations will have to live with the consequences. Thanks to the two brave men in the clip, the cougar managed to escape the poachers this time. But maybe next time he won’t be so lucky.
Video Credit: Mark Ekins via storyful
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