In his final day in office, Governor Pat Quinn is keeping busy with his governing duties as he vetoes bills, passes laws and pardons people for past crimes.
On Sunday, Quinn vetoed House House Bill 4226, which would have made hunting bobcats legal in Illinois.
"We all have a responsibility to protect and maintain Illinois' wildlife," Quinn said in a statement. "Allowing people to hunt bobcats in Ilinois violates that responsibility."
Bobcats were placed on Illinois' first official list of threatened species in 1977, but they were removed from the list in 1999 after a study at Southern Illinois University confirmed their population had expanded, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
"Today I veto this bill because bobcats are a valuable part of Illinois' ecosystem and continue to need protection, " Quinn said.
