The House Just Voted to Allow the Killing of Wolves and Bears in Their Dens – Sign Petition to Block This

Hunting isn’t “fair.” Most commonly, it is brutality and murder disguised as “sport.” It is fear and suffering and death imposed upon innocent and peaceful animals that haven’t done a thing wrong except to breathe and exist.  It doesn’t take much to see just how unfair hunting tends to be, but somehow, that’s still not enough for our nation’s “sportsmen,” i.e., hunters. Somehow, they still feel this “game” is rigged against them, rigged against the men and women who, with their great arms of steel, lay in waiting to destroy a cherished life at a safe distance with little more than a flick of a finger. And now, these “sportsmen” and women have convinced our House of Representatives to make this so-called sport a whole lot less fair for the precious wildlife that resides in Alaska’s national preserves.

In February, the House of Representatives voted to overturn the “fair chase” rule which restricts the use of unfair hunting tactics. These include tactics such as baiting, traps and snares, and the use of airplanes for tracking and shooting bears, wolves, and coyotes on national preserves in Alaska. The law also forbids the killing of bear cubs and mother bears with cubs, as well as the taking of wolves and coyotes during denning season when pups are just being born and starting to getting established.

This move was largely backed, not surprisingly, by the Nation Rifle Association (NRA) and Safari Club International, a group that is widely criticized for advocating canned hunting and trophy hunting. If passed, the law would allow these hunters to wake hibernating bears and use smoke to force them from their dens to be shot on sight. It would also allow these “sportsmen” to chase down bears and wolves using helicopters and planes until those animals become so tired that they stall, and the hunters can simply land and kill at close range. And, it would legalize the murder of mere babies.

This bill is so close to becoming law, it’s scary. But we have one last chance to stop it because it hasn’t passed the Senate yet. But Senators, too, have the NRA whispering in their ears, so we must be very persistent and insistent and ensure they hear us loud and clear. Here’s what to do:

• Sign this petition to tell the U.S. Senate that the laws governing our nation’s preserves must Support preservation, not killing.
• Contact your Senators directly to urge a stop to this very unjust bill.
• Share this article and petition to encourage more Americans to stand up for innocent wildlife.

Image credit: Vladimir Wrangel/Shutterstock