Radical New Wolf, Bear Control Programs Up Before Game Board

Board Set to Allow Sale of Bear Parts, Killing of Bear Cubs, Open Thousands of Acres to Aerial Killing Programs

(02/24/2004) - Anchorage, Alaska – This weekend, the Alaska Board of Game will consider bear and wolf control proposals that would radically alter how Alaska manages its natural predators. On the table are proposals that would place wolf pups and bear cubs in the cross-hairs and open thousands of acres to aerial gunning of wolves and bears.

"We implore the Game Board to listen to the voices of conservationists, including hunters, tourism operators and biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game who collectively oppose this assault on Alaska's bears", said Karen Deatherage, Alaska Program Associate for Defenders of Wildlife. "These controversial proposals show just how far special interests will go in their misguided desire to concoct a ‘moose crisis.' These schemes could hit bears especially hard since they reproduce so slowly and little is known about populations in the state."

Specifically, the Game Board is considering proposals to:

• legalize the killing of bear cubs;

• legalize the sale of bear parts;

• extend wolf hunting and trapping season year-round, which means month-old wolf pups could be killed; and

• add bears to the state's predator control law, giving the Board authority to approve lethal bear control throughout the state.

The Game Board is also considering expanding by thousands of acres the area eligible for aerial or land and shoot wolf gunning programs, despite commitments last fall that such programs would be confined to less than 1 percent of state land.

"The Game Board is operating under the false premise that Alaska's moose population is somehow endangered by natural predators. In reality, wolves and bears have coexisted in balanced ecosystems with moose for millennia," said Deatherage. "This isn't about protecting Alaska's wilderness; it's about catering to out-of-state trophy hunters who want to exploit our state's natural heritage for their own personal use."

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Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named as one of America's Top 100 Charities by Worth magazine. With more than 450,000 members and supporters, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat. To learn more about Defenders of Wildlife, please visit www.defenders.org.

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Contact(s):

Brad DeVries, (202) 772-0237
William Lutz, (202) 772-0269