Alaska wildlife agents can again kill black and brown bears from helicopters in the Mulchatna region after a recent court ruling allowed the state’s predator-control program to proceed.
The Associated Press reported that the program is meant to help the declining Mulchatna caribou herd, which has long been important to Alaska Native subsistence hunters.
The decline of the caribou herd deserves urgent attention. But aerial killing of bears is a severe response. It should not move forward without strong science, full transparency, public trust, and clear evidence that it will help caribou recover.
Alaska bears should not be gunned down from helicopters.
The Program Is Still Being Challenged
Alaska Beacon reported that the ruling allows the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to kill bears ahead of calving season while conservation groups continue to challenge the program in court.
The Center for Biological Diversity says the legal challenge contests the reinstated program and raises concerns that the state has not shown broad bear killing will restore the caribou herd. Alaska Wildlife Alliance reports earlier state operations killed nearly 200 bears and that the program was created without adequate review.
Reuters previously reported that environmental groups sued Alaska over the aerial hunting program, arguing that state officials failed to properly assess impacts on bear populations and long-term sustainability.
Caribou Need Help Without Reckless Harm To Bears
The state’s own Alaska Department of Fish and Game materials describe predator removal tied to Mulchatna caribou management. But public reports and agency conclusions cannot replace independent review when lethal action can remove large numbers of animals from wild landscapes.
Caribou decline can involve many factors, including habitat, nutrition, disease, weather, and climate stress. Killing bears may appear decisive, but it can also oversimplify a complex problem while damaging public trust.
Alaska leaders have the power to pause. The governor, Department of Fish and Game, and Board of Game can suspend aerial bear killing, release data on bear population impacts, require independent scientific review, and build a recovery plan that protects caribou without treating bears as disposable.
Sign the petition to urge Alaska leaders to stop helicopter bear killing and require science-based, transparent, humane caribou recovery.
