Officials move forward with controversial bear-killing proposal — here's what's happening
A controversial measure to restore a caribou herd by culling predators in Alaska is back on the table after a special meeting in Anchorage.
What's happening?
The Mulchatna caribou herd, numbering at around 200,000 in the late 1990s, has now declined to fewer than 15,000, according to the Anchorage Daily News. To help lift the population, officials proposed a cull of the animals — primarily bears — that prey on the caribou.
The local outlet reported in mid-July that the Alaska Board of Game restored the program through the state's Department of Fish and Game after area judges temporarily halted it this spring over concerns that "officials failed to provide meaningful public notice or opportunities for public comment and participation in the decision process and that the state had failed to analyze the program's impacts to bear populations."
In its first year of operation, the program culled 175 brown bears, five black bears, and 19 wolves. However, environmentalists and scientists have argued that predators have not been the prime threat to the caribou and that a cull does not address other dangers to the herd, such as habitat changes and disease.
Why is the culling of bears a concern?
Alaska is home to over 98% of America's brown bears, according to the state's Fish and Game Department. The animals play a crucial role in maintaining well-balanced ecosystems.
As apex predators, the bears can keep prey populations under control, and their penchant for berries means they can help maintain biodiversity through their role as seed dispersers. They also clean up carrion and aerate the soil while foraging for food.
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Culling critics are concerned that removing a high number of bears from any one area could disrupt not only the local food web but also tourism motivated by bear viewing.
Similar bear culling measures have been proposed in other states and countries.
What's being done?
Fish and Game commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang says any indicators that the overall bear population is at risk will prompt changes to the hunting program, according to the Anchorage Daily.
But the fight against the cull itself still isn't over. In a recent social media post, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance urged residents to speak out and attend a hearing on July 25.
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The hearing concerns a petition to find Fish and Game in contempt for having initiated bear culling this spring after the state judges ruled against the program, with the killing then halted only after a restraining order had been issued.
Pressure from community members may be one of the more effective challenges to the cull at this point — and an especially notable one, since judges earlier saw lacking opportunities for public comment.
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Officials move forward with controversial bear-killing proposal — here's what's happening first appeared on The Cool Down.
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