With cougar biologist John Laundré, today we discuss the matter of who owns wildlife. More and more we must consider the public costs of wildlife mismanagement in the United States, with increasing conflicts and polarization between hunting and anti-hunting, animal rights and animal welfare groups. From hunting groups invoking the European mindset of colonizers they contend the right to hunt is undeniable and essential to sound management of wildlife. Anti-hunting groups contend the ‘need’ to kill wildlife is unjustified and barbaric. However, the vast majority of citizens- wildlife watchers- are without influence and left completely out of the management decision making processes. As a result, the financial interests in ‘game species’ have disproportionate influence on our bureaucratic decisions, with severe consequences that fail to consider the public good and the intrinsic value of all wildlife, non-game species and the critical role of predators in our landscapes and ecosystems.