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FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission on Wednesday approved a controversial plan to allow the killing of bears and mountain lions.

The commission voted unanimously to go forward on the Piceance Basin and Upper Arkansas River predator control plans.

The $4.5 million plan drew a lot of heat from animal activists, who say it favors hunters.

Parks and Wildlife believes bears and mountain lions are preying on the state’s deer population, cutting into its numbers.

But opponents charge that’s not the case and they accuse Parks and Wildlife of caving in to hunters, who want to keep the deer population on the high side for sporting purposes.

The plan includes placing traps to catch bears and mountain lions, then shooting them.

The Humane Society is one of the groups that opposed the plan, as well as a large group of scientists at Colorado State University.

"Colorado’s mountain lions and black bears are being threatened by the very agency we trust to protect these iconic native carnivores,” said Aubyn Royall, Colorado state director for the Humane Society.

"Instead of authorizing this senseless killing, CPW needs to prioritize research and use of resources on improving deer habitat and migration corridors.”