Controversial Predator Control Program Continues Amid Legal Challenges
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced it will proceed with a contentious predator control initiative in Southwest Alaska despite a recent court ruling questioning its legality. This decision follows a Superior Court judge’s refusal to issue a temporary restraining order against the program, which aims to assist in the recovery of the Mulchatna caribou population.
Patty Sullivan, communications director with the Alaska Department of Law, stated that the court clarified it lacked jurisdiction to block the emergency regulation. “Consequently, the State is moving forward with the implementation of the bear removal program,” she noted in an email. The court’s decision does not address the substantive merits of the bear culling program but reaffirms earlier findings from March declaring it unlawful due to insufficient public input and scientific assessment.
The Board of Game enacted the emergency regulation in response to findings indicating high bear predation impedes caribou population growth, emphasizing the importance of the Mulchatna caribou as a sustainable food source. However, questions remain about the program’s legality, given the previous ruling’s implications.
Since 2023, state officials have culled 180 bears, primarily brown bears, in the Mulchatna herd’s calving grounds. The Alaska Wildlife Alliance, which has been litigating against the state, claims the program lacks due public process and is based on flawed science. Executive Director Nicole Schmitt expressed concerns that proceeding with the program could violate the court’s orders.
The most recent assessment estimates the Mulchatna caribou herd at approximately 15,000—well below the 30,000-80,000 target needed to initiate a subsistence harvest.
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