Environmental organizations have filed a lawsuit to stop a program of hunting bears from helicopters to protect caribou herds in Alaska.
Accordingly, they filed a lawsuit against the Board of Game in the US state of Alaska on Monday, to stop a plan to allow rangers to hunt bears unlimitedly by helicopter over a large area - home to a protected caribou herd.
The primary role of the Game Management Board is to conserve and develop Alaska's wildlife resources, including establishing hunting seasons and areas.
However, conservation groups have accused them of reinstating predator control programs without fully accounting for the impact on grizzly and black bear populations.
The lawsuit filed in Anchorage court says that since 2023, Alaska Department of Fish and Game officers have killed 175 grizzly bears and five black bears.
State officials deny the allegations, insisting the program is intended to protect caribou without endangering bear populations.
“We are trying to restore the reindeer herd, but not at the expense of the sustainability of the bears,” Douglas Vincent-Lang said when approving the new regulations in July.
The groups are asking the court to order a complete ban on aerial bear hunting before spring 2026, a crucial time when reindeer begin breeding and mother bears bring their newborn cubs out of their dens.
According to the Alaska government, the caribou herd now has just under 15,000 animals, far below the target of 30,000-80,000 animals considered necessary to meet the hunting and livelihood needs of local people.
The lawsuit says the bear population in the area is unknown, with estimates ranging from 2,000 to 7,000 grizzly bears based on outdated studies, while there are no figures on the black bear population.