Mountain lion taken off Mo.'s endangered species list

ST. LOUIS -- Even as debate still swirls over whether it exists in large numbers in Missouri, the mountain lion was removed from state's endangered species list Friday.

Missouri conservation commissioners voted to take the mountain lion off the list because they said the cat should not be allowed to repopulate one if its native states.

The decision surprised and angered environmental groups, who had hoped the cat could return to the state.

Mountain lion sightings have increased in the last five to 10 years, raising concerns among the public, particularly in rural areas where people are concerned about their safety and livestock, said John Smith, assistant director with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

One of the objectives of endangered species programs is to restore the populations of listed animals, Smith said, and the commission decided that goal was not desirable for the mountain lion.

The decision was made even though conservation officials don't believe mountain lions are re-establishing themselves in the state, said Smith. The vote was simply a move to "clarify" state policy toward the animal, he said.

The animal had been designated as endangered in 1973 because of a belief -- now thought to be mistaken -- that a small population was living in the Ozarks, Smith said.

Environmentalists contend the cat does live in Missouri.

"They're denying reality," said Ken Midkiff, conservation chairman of the Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club. "I don't think there is any doubt that there is a population."

Ted Heisel, executive director of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, called it troubling that the commission charged with protecting wildlife took such a position.

"I think it is outrageous," said "Here is one of the more charismatic species that our state once had. The mountain lion is native to Missouri."