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Brown Bears in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Need Our Help

Dear John,

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is continuing its anti-wildlife agenda by trying to reduce protections for brown bears and eliminate federal oversight of trapping on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

The agency has proposed a rule that would allow the cruel trapping of wildlife on the refuge without a federal permit, and would also allow the killing of brown bears over bait. Baiting involves intentionally using food to attract bears to a particular location where hunters, often in tree stands, gun them down at point blank range. This is widely viewed as unethical, unsporting, and unsafe, as it can acclimate bears to human food and promote human-wildlife conflict.

The use of cruel hunting methods like baiting and eliminating federal oversight of trapping are intended to satisfy the interests of Alaska government officials and a small number of hunters and trappers who use the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The USFWS should be working to ensure that the wildlife species are thriving, not making it easier for hunters and trappers to kill them.

This proposed rule comes in the wake of the National Park Service's recent reversal of a 2015 regulation that prohibited unsporting hunting practices on national preserves in Alaska. Taken together, these rules clearly demonstrate the administration's intent to weaken wildlife protections on federal lands in Alaska and to jeopardize Alaska's invaluable biodiversity to benefit a few hunters and trappers.

TAKE ACTION ([link removed])

What You Can Do
The USFWS is accepting comments from the public on its proposed rule. Please submit a comment ([link removed]) before the August 10 deadline asking the agency to uphold critical protections for brown bears and to retain federal oversight of trapping on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

Share this eAlert with your family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to submit a comment, too. Thank you for taking action on behalf of wildlife!

Sincerely,

Cathy Liss
President

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Photo by Forest Service Alaska Region

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Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003
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The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.

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