January 11, 2015
To the Honorable
Members of the
Illinois House of
Representatives,
98th General
Assembly:
In accordance with
Article IV, Section 9(b), of the Illinois Constitution, I hereby veto House
Bill 4226 from the 98th General Assembly.
House Bill 4226
amends the Wildlife Code authorizing the Director of the Department of Natural
Resources to allow a bobcat hunting season to be set annually between November
1 and February 15.
This legislation
would reverse Illinois’ nearly 40 year old prohibition on bobcat hunting.
Bobcats are native
to Illinois and thrived here for many years. Beginning in the mid-1800s, the
bobcat population declined primarily due to habitat loss and increasing harvest
for the fur trade. Bobcat population had declined so precipitously that the
species was added to Illinois’ threatened species list in 1977.
Since 1977, the Bobcat
population in Illinois has grown thanks to prudent and timely intervention by
State government.
This welcome
development, however, is no grounds for complacency. Reinstating bobcat hunting
may well cause a precipitous decline in bobcat population, erasing the progress
of the last four decades.
As the opponents of
this legislation have pointed out, humans do not rely on bobcats as a source of
food. Nor can reinstating hunting of the species be justified as necessary for
human safety. These mammals—that typically weigh anywhere from 25 to 40 pounds—are
reclusive, avoiding human contact.
Finally, reducing
the population of bobcats poses a significant threat to the State’s ecosystem
because the indigenous bobcat is an apex predator. To subject the species to
indiscriminate killing for recreational amusement presents many serious risks
and costs without much in return.
In conclusion, policy
of prohibiting the hunting of bobcats has served Illinois – both its human
citizens and its quadruped residents—well.
Accordingly, I must
return this bill without my approval. Therefore, pursuant to Article IV,
Section 9(b) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill
4226, entitled “AN ACT concerning wildlife.”, with the foregoing objections,
vetoed in its entirety.
Sincerely,
PAT
QUINN
Governor