The Humane Society is trying to use star power to protect Illinois bobcats. But will it work?
Ever seen Iron Man 2? The HBO show The Newsroom? Excited about the X-Men: Apocalypse movie that's filming?
Each of them star Olivia Munn. She's also the girlfriend of Green Bay Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Apparently her interest in the Midwest crosses the Wisconsin/Illinois border.
The Humane Society of the United States has released a statement from Munn asking Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to veto a bill to overturn a 42-year ban on the hunting and trapping of bobcats.
Munn writes that was in Illinois for work recently and loves its "vast countryside" and allowing bobcats to be hunted would "disrupt the Prairie State's ecosystem."
"Nobody really needs the pelt or stuffing of a bobcat but the bobcat himself," she writes.
The General Assembly narrowly approved the measure last month; advocates say it's needed to keep down the bobcat population. "And that's all this bill is trying to do is manage the resource. So that it doesn't become open season on these creatures," says Senate sponsor Sam McCann, a Republican from Carlinville.
Gov. Rauner's office won't say if he's leaning either way (though he is an avid bird hunter). His predecessor, former Gov. Pat Quinn, vetoed a similar measure just before leaving office in January.
It's not the first time a Hollywood actress has tried to influence Illinois politicians over animal rights legislation. Bo Derek came to Springfield to lobby for a ban on slaughtering horses; after her 2007 visit, the law passed.
