How low in the name of predator control can we go? That is the essential question before the Alaska Board of Game as they consider an “experimental” program to snare brown bears in a large region west of Cook Inlet. For those of you not immersed in wildlife management, bear snaring is a killing technique that indiscriminately takes both black and grizzly bears, sows, sows with cubs, and older cubs. A snare is a tightening loop of metal cable that is set off by a bear pawing at some bait in a bucket. Depending on how the snare is set, the bear may literally hang by its leg until the trapper arrives days later at which time the bear and any cubs with it will be killed. Imagine the anguish of a brown bear used to roaming hundreds of miles snared for days with a bucket on its paw.
If this image isn’t disturbing, just think about a cub being snared and the agitation level in the sow. Is this an ethical way to treat wildlife, particularly a species so elemental to the mystique and image of being an Alaskan? For me living among bears is an honor and one that I enjoy sharing with visitors. Not only is it a thrill to encounter the presence of these giant masters of the forest, but a source of pride in calling Alaska home. The least we can do is when it comes to those time when killing a bear is justified is that it is done with respect. Hunters I know do this. There is no respect, no skill, and no sport in snaring. It is simply torture. And what for? For an experiment in extreme predator control.
While predator control may be an effective means of attaining higher game populations in some Game Management Units, the same is not true throughout Alaska. Unfortunately, the state continues to maintain that reducing predation is appropriate whether or not predation is the cause of decline in the target population. The Board of Game believes that predation control is appropriate everywhere game is considered depleted regardless of the cause. This is the extreme philosophy that pervades the current Board of Game and it appears to be no big deal for them to initiate the snaring of brown bears even when the moose population in Unit 16 B is considered stable. After all it is an ‘experiment’.
This “experiment” seems designed to see how extreme the Board of Game can become before there is a loud outrage of Alaskans across the state. Besides they’ve already given up on science. There have been numerous wildlife managers testifying that the “killing of bears regardless of age, species, and gender is incompatible with the scientific principle of modern wildlife management”. Indiscriminate killing of a species is the equivalent of a surgeon using an ax instead of scalpel to achieve desired results. Apparently the Board of Game intends to bludgeon as much of the state as possible with their notion of wildlife management which now includes the expanded use of torturous snares.
Our bears deserve better. Our bears deserve respect. Our wildlife deserves to be managed by scientific principles. This is what it means to call ourselves Alaskans. This is what is at stake when the Board of Game convenes in Fairbanks March 2-11th. It’s time to speak out in defense of our wildlife heritage. You can sign a petition at www.change.org/petitions/alaska-board-of-game-stop-bear-snaring or better yet let Gov. Sean Parnell know that we’ve had enough of extreme predator control.
There are many prominent Alaskans making this appeal, including bear hunter and big game guide Karl Braendel who made this appeal to his fellow guides in an editorial: “You guys know better than most just how cool the grizzly is; the big bear deserves better, we deserve better. I urge you to step up and make a stand. Everyone who loves bears should make a stand. They are easily our most magnificent animals.”
• Troll is a long-time Alaskan with more than 22 years of experience in fisheries, coastal policy and energy policy. She resides in Douglas.
Comments (8)
Add commentWon't the pictures be great
It won't be long before someone encounters a bear hanging by a snare, trying to chew its own leg off. Or a cub, with its distressed mother trying to free and defend it.
The photos will be sent to activists down south who will broadcast them far and wide, calling for an Alaska tourism boycott.
It will be a devastatingly effective campaign.
This is just another reason why we need a new governor.
Replace Board of Game
The board of game consists of or is influenced by big game trophy outfitters and other outside interests, not wildlife managers. The board has seven members, each appointed by the governor for a three year term. Each member must be confirmed by a joint session of the state legislature. Board members can come under review by the legislators. They are immune from public comment or sentiment as they have constantly shown us. The Governor is not likely to admit a mistake and replace anybody on the board. After all, his big oil execs employers would like a quality moose hunt but not have to actually "hunt " for one. Pressure on your legislators is the only way to get things changed there. But I have seen no interest by the legislature to address this issue.
Snare the BOG
Require that all members have at least a Master's degree in ecology, math, population dynamics, or similar field.
I think what you are saying, ~dusty~...
Is that we will have to eventually S. Can the BOG, or else completely reformat the BOG so that it is either more science oriented, has a different objective (example: manage for diversity) or really, get rid of it altogether and replace it with wildlife managers. There are some that insist that the BOG system was just a 1950's method of doing things. With all the science and wisdom gained in the last 60 years or so, the understanding of our natural world has changed. The biggest bang for our buck for most of our wildlife isn't just in sport fishing or hunting anymore.
Any real changes to the system that are significant enough to make a long term difference will require a change to the Alaskan constitution. So we might as well start looking at that now. If we start seriously talking about it now, it may really happen decades from now.
There will protectionist geezer's that will try to prevent change. They will go extinct eventually.
BOG
My understanding is that the AK Dept of Fish & Game is suppose to follow the AK Constitution which states AK Wildlife is to be managed for all Alaskan's, not just the sporthunters, or the out-of-staters, but all of us here in AK; yet they do not even listen to Alaskans let alone manage wildlife for those who want to conserve it & keep it wild. Every year the BOG goes further down the destroy mother nature path. Human's kill the biggest and best, not wolves & bears. Human's take over the land and resources that were once the wolves & bears, human's created the "need more moose" problem and then they blame it on the wolves & bears and try to solve it by killing them. AK's wildlife management is wrong on many levels; it needs to be fixed, this system is broken.
Division of Wildlife
Division of Wildlife Conservation
Contribution to Department Mission
The mission of the Division of Wildlife Conservation is to conserve and enhance Alaska's wildlife and habitats and provide for a wide range of public uses and benefits.
Core Services
Population Assessment and Applied Research: Survey and inventory wildlife populations to inform conservation and regulatory actions; also, develop methods and means to minimize impacts on animals while gathering data needed to manage their populations and habitats.
Harvest Management and Harvest Information: Maintain and enhance the harvest of wildlife resources for subsistence and general use, as well as commercial purposes such as guiding and trapping, according to plans and regulations; maintain and administer databases on hunting-related lotteries, drawings, scoring, and allocation.
Wildlife Information, Education, Viewing, and Permitting Services: Issue scientific, educational and special use permits and provide regulatory, technical, planning and other support services to a variety of users, including educators, researchers, nonresident visitors, and wildlife control officers at public facilities such as airports.
Habitat Enhancement and Management: Conduct habitat enhancement and restoration projects where appropriate to maintain and enhance wildlife populations; manage state wildlife refuges, sanctuaries and critical habitat areas to protect and maintain fish and wildlife, their habitats, and public use of these species and areas.
By line missing
Where is the by line?