Authorities make major case over controversial hunting practice: ‘shameful’

Two conservation groups have sued the Alaska Board of Game over a program that authorizes helicopter shooting of both grizzly bears and black bears across a 40,000-square-mile area in the state’s southwest.

what’s going on

As the Center for Biological Diversity detailed, it brought a lawsuit in state Superior Court along with the Alaska Wildlife Coalition, claiming that the Mulchatna bear control program violated Alaska’s constitutional requirement to sustainably manage wildlife.

The state Supreme Court has previously ruled that the provision covers all wildlife, including bears.

Under a previous version of the program, state officials shot 175 brown bears and another five black bears during the 2023-2024 season.

The reinstated program allows officials to shoot bears regardless of age until 2028, with no limit on how many can be killed.

The target area is located a few miles from Lake Clark National Preserve and Katmai National Park, which puts bears traveling through protected and unprotected areas at risk.

“This is an outrageous misuse of public resources and a betrayal of the trust Alaskans place in their wildlife managers,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska director of the Center for Biological Diversity.

“State officials should protect all of our wildlife for future generations, not show off their power by orchestrating mass killings of iconic bears with no scientific basis.”

The program has caused outrage on social media.

“Stop letting politicians run natural resource programs,” wrote one Instagram commenter. “Hand them over to the biologists.”

Another pleaded, “Don’t let this ever happen! Please save the bears and other wildlife!”

Why is this program worrying?

A state court already invalidated an older version of the program in March 2025, which was adopted without reliable scientific information about how many bears actually live in the area.

Months later, state officials reinstated it without collecting the population data the rule had previously called for.

Bears are irreplaceable in their ecosystems, carrying seeds and distributing nutrients over wide areas. A program that lacks both kill caps and population counts could throw wildlife populations out of balance across the region and affect nearby communities and protected lands.

According to the Royal Society, “Biodiversity is essential to the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans.”

Changes in the natural order can affect everything from water and air quality to the human food supply.

Predators, such as bears, need to control prey populations. In Scotland, for example, experts are considering reintroducing wolves to reduce deer numbers, which are growing out of control and to prevent the growth of important shrubs.

“How we treat our animals, our elders, our veterans, and our most vulnerable shows us who we are as a country,” one Instagram user commented.

What can I do to protect Alaska’s bears?

If you want to support bear conservation efforts, donate or volunteer with the Alaska Wildlife Alliance or the Center for Biological Diversity.

Meanwhile, contacting Alaska state legislators to oppose predator control programs lacking scientific support can help inform lawmakers of public opinion.

Sharing information about the issue with friends and family can also encourage public pressure for wildlife conservation based on science, not politics.

Receive TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD’s exclusive Rewards Club.