Critics of the state\u2019s predator control methods said the state admitted in the report that it did not know the full impact of the practices on bear populations, since estimates of brown bear numbers were not known before the kills were allowed. Over half of brown bears killed last year were adult females, which raises additional concerns about the ability of the population to rebound.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a desire to avoid delaying the initiation of bear removal; the Department did not have an opportunity to estimate brown bear densities within the IM areas prior to removals,\u201d the state\u2019s report from October 2024 said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal of the project was to increase caribou calf survival by removing all bears and wolves from the calving grounds during the spring period when calves are highly susceptible to predation,\u201d the report went on to say. \u201cData does not exist to evaluate whether the goal was achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n Alaska officials refused to allow photographs to be taken of the killings, to subject the state\u2019s program to federal scientific review or to permit independent observers to witness the slaughter, reported The Guardian.<\/p>\n The mass killing of wildlife in close proximity to national parks leads to major declines in predator numbers on federal lands, PEER said in the press release.<\/p>\n \u201cDue to state predator control practices on adjacent lands, the ability of visitors to see intact wolf packs inside Denali National Park, one of the state\u2019s major tourist draws, has plummeted,\u201d PEER explained.<\/p>\n The National Park Service ended a study of wolf behavior in Yukon-Charley National Preserve that lasted more than 20 years because the same types of practices led to the collapse of the resident wolf population.<\/p>\n \u201cAlaska\u2019s predator control policies are cruel and the epitome of penny wise and pound foolish. The amount of tourist dollars from people seeking to view these predators in the wild dwarfs any incremental increase in hunting fee revenue the state hopes to realize,\u201d said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of PEER, whose organization is circulating a national petition in protest of the most recent aerial gunning operation, in the press release. \u201cUnfortunately, given its prior track record, we do not expect a Trump administration to protect wildlife on federal lands from state predator removal operations no matter how devastating or barbaric.\u201d<\/p>\n