Environmental Groups Challenge Aerial Bear Hunts in Alaska's Caribou Territory

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against Alaska's wildlife authorities to stop a predator control plan allowing unlimited aerial hunting of bears. They argue the program threatens bear populations and violates conservation laws. Officials defend the plan as necessary for caribou herd recovery.

In a legal battle intensifying in Alaska, environmental groups have taken action against state wildlife authorities, challenging a controversial predator control plan. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, aims to halt the aerial hunting of bears, a practice they argue endangers bear populations and contravenes conservation regulations.

The suit accuses the Board of Game of relaunching a bear-hunting scheme without considering its ecological impacts, violating Alaska's constitutional wildlife protections. Since 2023, over 175 grizzlies and five black bears have been culled under previous versions of the program, which have been legally contested before.

State officials assert their intention is to support the caribou population without harming bears' long-term sustainability. The controversial program, designed to protect caribou from predation, has faced criticism from environmentalists, who highlight the importance of ecological balance and argue that factors like disease and climate change are key in the caribou herd's decline.

(With inputs from agencies.)