An experiment has been proposed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to test if bear snaring will be a feasible method to eradicate bears to boost populations of moose and caribou. Please click here to sign this online petition to show the State of Alaska that there are many people who view bears as more than nuisance animals!
Bucket snares are designed to catch a bear by the paw with a cable noose. The bear may be ensnared for days, and sometimes will chew its foot off to escape. Not only is this sickeningly cruel, but it can present the extreme hazards of seriously injured bears for anyone in the vicinity.
This practice may capture non-target species, such as grizzlies (when black bears are targeted), wolves, and wolverines, as well as female bears with cubs. Any animal captured would have to be killed, including bear cubs when their mother is snared. In addition, baiting bears in man-made buckets, with human scent around it, causes bears who are not captured to associate humans with food.
Sadly, the State of Alaska is still operating under the laws of manifest destiny, which strive to rid the wilderness of bears and other predators to boost populations of game animals. There is no doubt that these practices upset the balance of wildlife populations, and can result in over-browsed, unproductive habitat. Bears and other predators also contribute to the economy of Alaska as attractors to wildlife watchers and people who value true wilderness. The tide is turning slowly, as we are evolving wiser practices of wildlife stewardship. Please show your support.
Petition is sponsored by the Alaska Wildlife Alliance.
31 Comments
Please stop bear trapping
Let nature go her normal course. We’re having all these
issues because humans have intervened to upset the natural
balance. Stop ensnaring bears/wolves etc.,
treat the earth and its original owners better
I love Alaska’s Bears,especially in the wild ,as I have seen them.I am not a “lifetime” Alaskan but I did show up in the “Great-land” in 1951 as an 8 year old and saw a wild Alaska from the Alaska Railroad where my step Father Lee Lewis was an Engineer.We have rights but so do the bears of Alaska.After all they were here before we were and the Russians.They have rights also.Please don’t torture them.
Charlie Sherman
Lincoln,Montana
Please stop snaring bears/wolves. Thanks.
Man is so arrogant to think he is all that matters. Predatory animals have to kill to live, that is not a choice. Man does not need to hunt to live, it is a sport of choice…
Leave these lovely creatures alone
Hey Brad, Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Seems like a particularly cruel and ill thought out plan!
I could go on and on about this subject-it has so many layers. Predator control, control of one species in favor of another is faulty biology right from the start. Using snares is a cruel and barbaric way of trapping any animal and as Brad states there is no way to target the animal species that is being trapped-many other animals will suffer including the posibility of pets. We should consider “limiting hunting” in these areas where moose and caribou numbers are down-do a little “predator control” on the biggest and most efficient “predator”-man!
I never understood “baiting” of any kind, we have spent many dollars here in AK to educate the public about the danger to bears and people of leaving trash etc available to bears-we as the general public rightly can be fined if found in violation of this-but then for some unknown reason it is OK to bait bears-do the bears know the difference? Of course not-we are simply habituating bears to human food when we “bait” them. It always amazes me how the “department” can be so blind when it comes to “managing” populations for the hunting public. AK has taken a giant step back in terms of wildlife management with predator control of all kinds-driven in my opinion by the political pressure applied by the more extremist hunting organizations. Having been involved for 23 years with bears and fighting many of these battles over the years for the bears of the AK Peninsula I soon lost my naive belief the game is managed by biology-“game management” is so amazingly political.
I don’t know what the solution is but AK needs to move into the future, have a more far sighted view of where it is going-these “predators” if for no other reason (and there are many other reasons) have a tremendous value to the state-every person who comes to AK wants to see a bear and a wolf-they spend lots of money to accomplish this goal-tourism is certainly a sustainable industry, one that is inextricably linked to the future of AK.
On every level we are against the baiting of bears.
wow, that says it all right there. Thanks Chris!
What a dangerous way to try to thin one species at the probable expense of many others. Haven’t heard of that many of bear on human attacks to begin with. Keep advocating for the bears.
Hi Brad,
Thanks for all your help with this issue. I’ll get as many people as I can to sign this petition. What a sad thing for all the animals as well as for all of us. As Chris pointed out, when we try to artificially inflate numbers of one animal with the killing of another, these methods almost always end up in abject failure. I myself am still feeling the pain of the Katmai bear hunt issue which I remember you being quite involved with as well. One thing that I would like to mention is perhaps starting a topic thread for this petition in the enviornmental/ethics section on http://www.naturescapes.net Myself, Ken and Chris as well as Tom Walker were all pretty active on this site during the Katmai bear hunt and wolf issues. This may be a great way to get more signatures as we found most readers and members to be very sympathetic to these causes.
Let me know if I can be of any more help.
Bob Jackson
Houston, Texas
bobdjphoto@gmail.com
great idea, cant seem to get registered as a user, and I leave tomorrow for a month. Maybe you can post a link to this page for me?
It’s done Brad…I’m not sure if it will draw as much attencion as if you or lets say Tom Walker posted it as I have not been very active on the site since the Katmai bear issue.
Bob
I’m for the bears.
They need to stop this practice and leave these bears alone.
Shawn
Please stop the horrific killing of our wildlife.
Please stop the pointless deaths of these beautiful creatures.
Please stop this practice – little do you realize the value these animals hold for your state and our planet. Just as in my home state of Montana, wildlife viewing is responsible for many, many, eco-tourism dollars in your economy. The more I hear how Alaska treats it’s wildlife, the less I want to visit; I don’t think I’m alone in this. Treasure what you have that makes your state unique – quit destroying your wildlife and practicing unnecessary cruelty.
Please stop this barbaric practice. Your state makes many, many dollars on eco-tourism, these types of practices are bad for the animals and bad for your state’s reputation. Value what you have; your wildlife and scenery are what make Alaska the amazing place it is, protect the bears and other wildlife-your state will benefit and so will the planet.
Marilyn Kelly-Clark
Please do preserve the bears as there are enough cruelty and destruction going on all the time all over the world. So please do stop this very barbaric practice as the bears have a right to live on this world peacefully and away from any cruelty.
If it’s a “good” thing to snare bears and wolves… it’s also gotta be good to snare humans. Whatcha think???
All we need is the words of Chief Seattl to guide us… “whatever befalls the animals, will also befall man.” And, “if all the animals of the earth were gone, man would die from great lonliness.”
Eco-tourism is important to the Alaskan economy. Millions of people (like myself) will never return to Alaska if bear baiting and shooting wolves from the air is permitted. There is NOTHING sporting about this form of hunting. REAL sportsmen would find this abhorrent.
Wake up and do the right thing!
Seriously, wildlife needs to have a break. God created them along with man, so let’s assume God knew what he was doing – ok?
Please stop this painful practice! It is cruel and barbaric!
Leave the bears alone,they were here before us and Alaska is their home.They are the symbol of our state in all of its beauty and theirs too. People that want to legalize the barbaric and inhumane practice of snaring should be ashamed of themselves as well as the state for even considering such a measure.We are in the best place on the planet ,lets keep it that way and keep this wonderful environment the way it deserves to be treated,respected and a showcase of how things should be,not a shameful example of how most of the world has become.
A civilization is judged in part by the way it treats its animasl….both wild and domestic. Please re think the laws that allow such cruel practices.
Thank you.
please stop snaring the bears…they were created for a reason and they should be left alone..
Please stop the snaring and ALL hunting of bears in Alaska!!!
Unless is only for the sole purpose of sustenance food gathering. But NO snaring.