Donald Trump to reverse ban on baiting bears with doughnuts and bacon in Alaska

Brown bears could be baited with donuts and bacon if changes are implemented
NPS
Fiona Simpson23 May 2018

Donald Trump’s administration is moving to reverse rules banning hunters in Alaska from baiting brown bears with doughnuts and bacon and using spotlights to shoot hibernating mother black bears and cubs.

The National Park Service issued a notice on Monday sharing its intent to amend the regulations brought in under Barack Obama’s administration.

It would change federal rules surrounding hunting and trapping animals for sport and bring them in line with Alaska’s state law.

Under the proposed changes, hunters would also be allowed to hunt black bears with dogs, kill wolves and pups in their dens, and use motor boats to shoot swimming caribou.

These and other hunting methods - condemned as cruel by wildlife protection advocates - were outlawed on federal lands in 2015.

Wolves could be at risk under the new rules
NPS

Members of the public have been offered 60 days to respond to a consultation on the proposed changes.

"The conservation of wildlife and habitat for future generations is a goal we share with Alaska," said Bert Frost, the park service's regional director.

"This proposed rule will reconsider NPS efforts in Alaska for improved alignment of hunting regulations on national preserves with State of Alaska regulations, and to enhance consistency with harvest regulations on surrounding non-federal lands and waters."

Alaska has 10 national preserves covering nearly 37,000 square miles (95,830 square kilometers).

Trump's Administration has called for a change in the rules
AP

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game was "pleased to see the National Park Service working to better align federal regulations with State of Alaska hunting and trapping regulations," Maria Gladziszewski, the state agency's deputy director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation, said in an email to The Associated Press.

She said the proposal is "progress in that direction, and we appreciate those efforts. Alaskans benefit when state and federal regulations are consistent."

Expanding hunting rights on federal lands has been a priority for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, a former Montana congressman who displays a taxidermied bear in his Washington office along with mounted heads from a bison and an elk.

The Obama-era restrictions on hunting on federal lands in Alaska were challenged by Safari Club International, a group that promotes big-game hunting.

The Associated Press reported in March that Mr Zinke had appointed a board loaded with trophy hunters to advise him on conserving threatened and endangered wildlife, including members of the Safari Club.

President Trump's sons are also known to be trophy hunters who have made past excursions to Africa and Alaska.

The Humane Society of the United States said it would oppose the new rules.

"These federal lands are havens for wildlife and the National Park Service is mandated to manage these ecosystems in a manner that promotes conservation," said Anna Frostic, a lawyer for the animal rights group.

"This proposed rule, which would allow inhumane killing of our native carnivores in a misguided attempt to increase trophy hunting opportunities, is unlawful and must not be finalized."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in