UPDATE: Aerial Bear Killings Resume In Alaska As Conservation Groups Continue Legal Fight

UPDATE 6/2/26:

Following the Alaska Superior Court’s decision to allow the controversial Mulchatna predator control program to move forward, aerial bear-killing operations have reportedly resumed across southwest Alaska. Conservation groups challenging the plan report that nearly 200 bears, including dozens of cubs, have been killed under previous versions of the program since 2023 and warn that additional bears could be killed before the courts issue a final ruling on the program’s legality.

The legal challenge remains ongoing as the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and the Center for Biological Diversity continue their efforts to overturn the state’s predator control program in court. Meanwhile, state officials maintain that reducing predator numbers is necessary to help support recovery of the Mulchatna caribou herd.

The program continues to face strong opposition from wildlife advocates across the U.S., who are calling for the aerial gunning of bears to be suspended. Conservation groups warn that the reauthorized program is currently scheduled to remain in effect through at least 2028, raising concerns that bears could continue to be killed under the program for years to come.

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An Alaska Superior Court ruled to allow the state to move forward with its Mulchatna predator control program, permitting the killing of an unlimited number of black and brown bears across nearly 40,000 square miles of southwest Alaska this summer.

“We are deeply disappointed by the court’s decision to allow the gunning program to move forward today,” said Nicole Schmitt, executive director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance. “The state already killed close to 200 bears under a program which was later found unlawful. We can’t undo the slaughter of those bears, which includes dozens of cubs, and I fear history will repeat itself until these issues can be resolved, again, in court.”

“Allowing this unconstitutional program to proceed threatens bear populations vital to places like Katmai National Park and McNeil River,” said Michelle Sinnott, staff attorney with Trustees for Alaska. “Unfortunately, the state will continue pushing forward with its scientifically baseless bear-killing program, and by the time this case is resolved, the harm caused to these bear populations cannot be undone. That’s not responsible wildlife management.”

The litigation, brought by Alaska Wildlife Alliance and the Center for Biological Diversity, challenges the reinstatement of the Mulchatna bear control program after a previous court found it unconstitutional. It invokes the sustained yield clause of the Alaska Constitution, which requires the state to manage wildlife populations as a protected public resource that must be maintained in perpetuity. The Alaska Supreme Court has determined that this clause applies to all wildlife, including bears.

“This unlawful plan has irreversible consequences, and I’m concerned that state game agents could start killing bears before this case is resolved,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We want to see the caribou herd thrive, but the state simply hasn’t shown that the unrestrained killing of bears is going to help us get there. We need to stop this disgraceful waste of the state’s limited resources and work based on science to protect all our wildlife.”