MINNEAPOLIS, June 23 (UPI) -- A U.S. study has determined sport hunters are depleting lion and cougar populations in both the United States and Africa.
The study, led by University of Minnesota Professor Craig Packer, looked at the number of lions and cougars killed by hunters during the past 15 to 25 years in Africa and the western United States. The analysis suggests sport hunting takes a significant toll on the large feline species because replacement males routinely kill their predecessors' cubs to improve their mating opportunities. Killing cubs forces female lions into estrus or "heat," the researchers said.