The Coming War on Grizzly Bears

Last year’s shameful slaughter in Alaska may be repeated soon in Montana.

bout 10 months back, Alaska Department of Fish and Game workers were ordered to conduct an aerial hunt and kill all the bears and wolves they saw from their helicopters. A total of 94 brown bears (including mothers and 11 cubs), five black bears, and five wolves were fatally shot from the air between May 10 and June 4 of last year, according to a New York Times op-ed by Jon Waterman, a former ranger at Denali National Park and Preserve.

This slaughter was ordered by the Alaska Board of Game, a governor-appointed seven-person group composed of trophy hunters, trappers, guides, and fishers, but no scientists. The board’s desire was to protect game animals, especially caribou and their calves, from predators. Of particular concern was southwest Alaska’s Mulchatna caribou herd, which had been closed to hunting since fall 2021. The herd had peaked at approximately 200,000 animals in 1997 and had since declined drastically to just over 12,000. Read More…