Preliminary approval has been given by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks to increase the number of Mountain Lion permits in the West Fork Bitterroot areas from 20 to 30. The recommendation was approved Thursday.

 

The approval follows an elk predator study conducted by state game managers. In that study, managers say more mountain lions need to be killed to help elk herds grow. Managers say that the elk herds in that region dropped from nearly 2,000 elk in 2005 to 800 in the spring of 2011. FWP says that mountain lions are the main predators in the area for elk calves, not wolves.

FWP is accepting public comments on the plan for the next 30 days. Check out this YouTube video on mountain lions.

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/maneaters-mountain-lions.html

More From KMPT-AM