Protect bears, wolves now!
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A brown bear sow and two cubs in the grass

Protect bears, wolves now!

04 Sep, 2018
in Wild Lands & Wildlife by

Two Alaskans made the news last month after lying about unlawfully killing a female bear and her cubs. One of the headlines noted the vulnerability and timing of the killing: A mother bear and two ‘shrieking’ newborn cubs were killed in their den by hunters, troopers say. Now, the public can speak out to protect bears, wolves.

NPS adopted regulations that ban unfair sport hunting. NPS Photo

Sow and cub in Denali National Park. NPS Photo

Transcripts of the two men caught on videotape while trying to cover up their crime show a clear disregard for wildlife and the law, yet the Trump administration wants to make what they did legal in national preserves.

Oppose legalization of extreme hunting practices

The Department of the Interior has proposed rules allowing a range of extreme hunting practices in national parks, including killing bears and wolves in dens, killing sows with cubs, baiting brown bears with sweets, using dogs to hunt black bears, killing caribou when swimming, and more.

The public comment period on these proposed regulations ends Sept. 6, so act now.

Employing these means to kill predator animals like bears and wolves in the name of boosting the number of game animals like moose and caribou disregards science, the importance and primacy of wildlife diversity, and the interest of all public users of national parks.

Two wolves with adult yawning, pup laying its head on adult's back.

Wolf and pup. Photo by USFWS

A shortsighted power grab

Many Alaskans have noted that these practices have no place in national preserves, are contrary to science and the purpose of national parks, and would reward unethical hunters at the expense of natural wildlife diversity and the use of national preserves for recreation, wildlife viewing, and other purposes.

Trustees has represented clients on predator control issues for decades–we brought the lawsuit that established that the constitutional principle of sustained yield applies to predators as well as prey–and we will continue to fight for wildlife practices founded on science and public interest in the months and years to come.

We submitted comments to oppose the latest proposal to allow extreme predator practices on national preserves and encourage you to do the same. The comment period ends in days. Submit yours by September 6, 2018, through the National Parks Conservation Association or regulations.gov.

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