A Wildlife Article used with permission from All-Creatures.org

Katie Nolan reports on the devastating news that Alaska has reinstated the program that allows bears to be chased, shot, and killed by helicopters.

Alaska Resumes Aerial Gunning of Bears After Brief Reprieve
From Katie Nolan, IDA In Defense of Animals, idausa.org
September 2025

Photo from Canva/Getty Images Pro

Alaska’s iconic brown bears are once again under attack. Despite widespread opposition and a brief legal victory, the state has reinstated its cruel Mulchatna bear control program, allowing helicopters to chase and shoot bears from the sky. Families are shattered, cubs are left without mothers, and entire bear communities face devastation.

Earlier this year, we urged you to speak out against this barbaric plan, and you didn’t disappoint. In May, a court issued an emergency injunction that halted the aerial slaughter, saving bears’ lives at the very start of the killing season. We celebrated that hard-won victory, thanks to the tireless advocacy of our allies at Alaska Wildlife Alliance.

Unfortunately, that victory was short-lived. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game pushed forward once again, voting to reopen the massive bear-killing program across more than 40,000 square miles. Before the court’s initial ruling, 11 bears were already gunned down. Now, many more lives are at risk as the program resumes. This isn’t science-based management. This is cruelty, and it threatens the very fabric of bear communities in Alaska.

We stand with Alaska Wildlife Alliance in calling for a permanent end to aerial gunning. Together, we will continue to expose this violence and press decision-makers to choose compassion over killing.

Learn more about our work for Alaska’s bears and other wild animals, and support efforts to end this cruelty once and for all. Together, we can defend these animals and their right to live free.

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Posted on All-Creatures.org: September 5, 2025
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