While everyone is focused on the pandemic, President Donald Trump’s National Park Service has made moves to allow hunters in the state of Alaska to kill bear cubs and wolf pups while they are in their dens.
The Obama administration had set forth regulations against this in order to help prevent the destabilization of the state’s biodiversity.
According to Common Dreams, under the new rules, hunters in Alaska will be permitted to:
- use bait including donuts and grease-soaked bread to draw in and kill brown bears;
- use artificial lights to enter dens and kill black bears, including females and their cubs;
- shoot caribou while they are swimming; and
- trap and kill wolves and their pups during denning season.
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) criticizes the administration saying they are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic tp push an agenda natural resource experts, lawmakers, and advocates would strongly advise against.
This regulation change would “more closely align hunting and trapping regulations with those established by the state of Alaska,” claims park service’s deputy director, David Vela.
According to The Guardian, the changes will allow hunters to draw black bears, including cubs and females with cubs, out of their dens with artificial light; to use bait to attract black and brown bears; to hunt wolves and coyotes during the denning season and to shoot caribou while they are swimming or from motorboats.
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