Predator Control

The Alaska legislature passed the intensive management law in 1994 without a vote of the public. The law authorizes Alaska’s current predator control programs. Under Governor Frank Murkowski, the Board of Game was stacked with pro-predator control members who demanded the Department of Fish and Game manipulate populations of bears and wolves, so that their prey, moose and caribou, could grow in numbers. Under Governor Sarah Palin, the political manipulation of the states wildlife management policy continued at an unprecedented rate. The state asserts that control methods are necessary to protect the economic and cultural traditions of rural Alaskans that rely on hunting moose and caribou. Since the implementation of this program, over 1,000 wolves and several hundreds of bears, including sows and cubs, have been killed through controversial methods including aerial shooting, baiting, snaring and the use of poison gas in dens.

Biologists and critics have argued the predator control program is not supported by sound science and is merely a short sighted political agenda to appease the powerful commercial hunting lobby.   In 2007, 172 scientists sent a letter to Governor Palin citing that the goals for moose and caribou population growth were unreasonably high and unsustainable.  Wolf researchers have questioned the states accuracy in accounting for wolf numbers and their understanding of wolves as scavengers rather than killers.  Palin later introduced legislation that attempted to remove all the checks and balances for implementing predator control – including all scientific justifications. Furthermore, she attempted to introduce a $150 bounty for wolf’s forelegs to provide financial profit for citizen aerial gunner teams, many of who were the very commercial hunting guides profiting from moose and caribou hunts. The citizens of Alaska voted against aerial predator control twice just to have the legislature overturn the vote of the people. On the third vote, Governor Palin approved a state appropriation of $400,000 in a public relations campaign to influence the vote of the public.    

Currently, the predator control plan is targeting 6 areas around the state including Upper Yukon-Tanana, Nelchina Basin, Upper Cook Inlet, Middle Kuskokwim, McGrath and Southern Alaska Peninsula.  The 2009-2010 preliminary goals were to kill approximately 500 wolves and 1000 bears, including sows and cubs.  The first season of snaring bears resulted in 81 black bears and 3 brown bears being killed near Anchorage in game management unit 16. Another 5 brown bears were snared but released. Their condition upon release has not been made public.

Often animals captured by these methods are subject to injuries, which beg the question of the validity that some were “released without incident” and further concerns have been raised regarding the unintended harm caused by the snares.  Aerial shooting is another extreme measure that has been the source of much conflict due to its barbaric nature as well as the fact that the shooting is conducted, not by ADF&G employees, but rather Alaskan citizens. Additionally, the recent introduction of gassing of wolf pups in dens has further fueled the fire for those who dispute the predator control program. 

Further concerns with the state’s intensive management program relate to manipulating the ungulate populations especially when sound science is not used to inform their decisions.  Some argue also that the real goal behind the program is not to protect the economic and traditional values of rural Alaskans, but rather to keep the ungulate populations high and the predator competition low so that city-dwelling Alaskans can keep their freezers full of meat and nonresidents can have a chance at big trophy kills.  As a case in point, nonresident trophy hunters were able to hunt for Bull Moose in the Nelchina Basin and in the upper Yukon Tanana region this year in areas where aggressive predator control measures have been employed as a method to protect subsistence harvest, yet nonresident and the commercial hunting industry are competing with residents in both of these regions.

While the goals of the predator control program assert that they do not intend to wipe out whole populations of wolves and bears the state is attempting eradication in thousands of square miles of Alaska. Yellowstone National Park experienced the drastic ecological effects associated with the extinction of their entire wolf population, only to later reintroduce wolves at great expense into the park in order to bring back an ecological balance.  Without sound science supporting the decisions regarding the predator control program, how can we be sure that the states goals will lead to sustainable, healthy populations of predators and prey?  This is a real concern for Alaskans.

What you can do:

The Alaska Board of Game makes most of the decisions relating to wildlife management.  This Board is currently controlled by staunch advocates for predator control.  Stay informed!  Find out about meetings, comment periods and opportunities for submitting proposals.  http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/gameinfo/index.php

Write a letter to the editor:  Tell your story about why wildlife is important to Alaska.  http://www.adn.com/help/letters/

Write or call your local representatives:  Let them know that you don’t approve of the intensive management program as it is currently being administered. http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/docs/pdf/800numbers.pdf

Write or call the governor’s office.  Ask the Governor to support a more balanced and informed perspective on wildlife management. Ask him to make appointments to the  Board of Game who will add a diversity of interests to the board.  http://www.gov.state.ak.us/