Interior Department Restores Bear Baiting in Alaska National Preserves; Wildlife Groups Vow Court Challenge
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Oct. 16 that the National Park Service has finalized a rule restoring the use of food bait by sport hunters to kill bears in Alaska's national preserves. The practice, known as bear baiting, places food to lure bears within shooting range; the new rule overturns a ban imposed by the Biden administration in 2024. It is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on Oct. 19 and takes effect 30 days later.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement that the rule restores Alaska's role in managing its land, wildlife and traditions, giving Alaskans a stronger voice in decisions affecting their land, wildlife and traditions. Doug Vincent-Lang, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, also voiced support, calling it a return to a management framework that served Alaska for three decades.
Animal-welfare organizations strongly objected. Groups including Humane World said baiting teaches bears to associate humans with food, raising the risk of dangerous encounters for hikers and campers, and raises serious animal-welfare concerns. They said they are evaluating legal options and preparing to challenge the rule in federal court again. The rule covers sport hunting only; subsistence hunters were already permitted to use bait.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：卡特迈国家公园的棕熊（资料图）。照片：Russ Taylor／美国国家公园管理局／Wikimedia Commons（公有领域）。A brown bear in Katmai National Park (file photo). Photo: Russ Taylor / National Park Service / Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
