It’s common knowledge that students are not the only inhabitants of the University of Iowa campus. From the first time a student steps on campus, it’s hard to miss the squirrels scurrying around and the tranquil sounds of birds to wake you up in the morning. These creatures are just as much a part of campus as any building or structure.

In Iowa, there are about 1,100 species native to the state. Unfortunately, as it is becoming more and more common these days, some of these animals are being threatened or treated inhumanely.

While there are many factors that contribute to this sad fact, much of it can be attributed to the loose hunting and snaring laws in Iowa. Therefore, the state of Iowa needs to be more vigilant and specific with its hunting laws.

The issue originates from gaps in hunting legislation, which allows for many animals to be treated in gruesome ways. One example of the holes in hunting laws is the lack of legal status for mountain lions. While mountain lions are not considered to have a particularly significant presence in Iowa, there have been increased sightings of them since 2014.

The importance of mountain lions cannot be understated. They have an important role in the prevention of overgrazing which in turn prevent habitat loss of many different types of fauna. This is relevant in Iowa because they can aid in controlling the growth of the state’s extensive deer population.

Despite the increase in spottings, mountain lions remain unprotected under Iowa law. Due to this lack of legal status, it has been up to individual hunters to figure out how to deal with their presence. As a result, it has been found that mountain lions have been killed in inhumane ways, such as left to slowly suffocate in snares for days at a time.

Currently, there are 17 states that protect mountain lions. While these are breeding states, Iowa needs to adapt similar laws to protect the mountain lions that are now entering our ecosystems.

Similarly, there has been an increase in black bear sightings in recent years. As there is no legal status for black bears, they too have been treated in a grisly fashion. According to the Iowa DNR, “ …it is legal for Black Bears to be harvested by any method or means possible.” This open-ended statement gives hunters the freedom to kill the bears however they want, as horribly or tortuously as they want.

In the same vein as the mountain lion, black bears are also important in controlling the deer population. Along with this, they are considered environmental engineers, which means they can change their ecosystems and allow different species to thrive in Iowa.

These are just two prime examples of why Iowa hunting laws need to be more specific in the animals they protect. A quick fix to this situation could be to add an overarching law that states all animals must be treated in a humane way, even if they are not mentioned by name in the legislation.

In another vein, some Iowa hunting laws are simply not followed. The most glaring culprit of this issue is deer hunting. While there are no exact stats yet about what percent of deer are illegally poached, experts expect that it is substantial.

The deer industry in Iowa brings in about $300 million annually — having deer poached can severely affect this. Violations of illegally killing deer range from $2,000-$10,000 which is quite substantial. Unfortunately, experts believe that a vast amount of these rule breakers are not caught, which takes away from the credibility of this law.

Iowa has to do its best to tighten the reins on hunting laws in order to maintain a balance between us and the native species of Iowa.

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.