Environmentalists say the rule falls short, some hunting advocates say it goes too far, and the legal fight over hunting practices is poised to continue.
Three brown bear cubs crouch in the grass near their mother in a meadow in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in 2009. A new rule resurrects a ban on bear baiting by sport hunters in national preserves in Alaska, but the National Park Service opted against expanding the rule to ban other controversial practices.
To the National Park Service, bear baiting creates unacceptable safety risks, both for the animals that live in national preserves and for the people that visit them. The danger is that bears will become habituated to human-provided food and be more likely to interact with people. The new rule stems from a 2020 lawsuit that challenged the Trump administration change. That Trump-era policy never went into effect; U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that it violated National Park Service laws and policies, and she ordered the agency to reconsider it.
“Stopping bear baiting in preserves is important for visitor safety and ecological health. The rest of this rule is disappointing,” Jim Adams of the National Parks Conservation Association said in a“In its rule, the Park Service recognizes that numerous sport hunting practices conflict with the agency’s mission — yet allows them to continue,” Adams said.
On the other side, Safari Club International, one of the hunting organizations that intervened in the 2020 lawsuit in defense of the Trump-era rule, characterized the new rule as unjust. “It has far-reaching implications on the availability of national preserve lands for hunting and traditional cultural practices as Congress intended and Alaskans have long depended upon,” he said in the letter.“The State along with the other parties have already appealed Judge Gleason’s decision to the Ninth Circuit,” Patty Sullivan, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Law, said by email. “The State’s brief is currently due at the end of this month.
Alaska Bear Baiting Alaska Department Of Fish And Game
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
National Park Service will prohibit bear baiting in Alaska’s national preservesThe new rule would bar sport hunters from using bait, such as bacon grease, pastries, syrup or dog food, to attract bears, the agency said.
Read more »
National Park Service to ban bear baiting in national preserves across AlaskaThe agency finalized a rule to ban the use of bait like bacon grease, doughnuts, or pancake syrup, to hunt bears in national preserves across Alaska.
Read more »
Federal agency plans to prohibit bear baiting in national preserves in AlaskaThe National Park Service says it intends to ban hunters from baiting bears in national preserves in Alaska
Read more »
Federal agency plans to prohibit bear baiting in national preserves in AlaskaThe National Park Service says it intends to ban hunters from baiting bears in national preserves in Alaska. Set to take effect later this summer, the new rule would bar sport hunters from using bait, such as bacon grease, pastries, syrup or dog food, to attract bears.
Read more »
Bear baiting ban reinstated by NPS in Alaska national preservesThis ruling does spark a positive outcome by ending the use of such awful hunting and trapping methods.
Read more »
Bear attack in Canadian national park leaves 2 hikers injuredThe bear charged the hikers, who were able to deploy bear spray.
Read more »