ANCHORAGE, Alaska (May 14, 2025) — In a major win for Alaska’s brown bears and their advocates, a state court issued an injunction today halting the controversial Mulchatna aerial gunning program just as the 2025 bear-killing season was set to begin. The ruling follows legal action by Alaska Wildlife Alliance, which argued the predator control program violates Alaska’s Constitution and due process. In Defense of Animals supporters flooded officials with over 7,000 messages urging them to abandon the program and protect Alaska’s bears.

The injunction, granted just as the killing resumed resulting in the deaths of 11 bears, pauses aerial gunning in Units 17 and 18 of Western Alaska, where nearly 200 brown bears were killed under the program in 2023 and 2024. The court’s decision brings a wave of relief to advocates who have spent months pushing back against the scientifically unsupported and ecologically reckless killings.

“This is a crucial win for Alaska’s bears, and for everyone who believes in science-based, ethical wildlife management,” said Nicole Schmitt, Executive Director of Alaska Wildlife Alliance. “The court has again made it clear that the state cannot steamroll legal protections or ignore its own constitution in the name of predator control.”

The Mulchatna predator control program has faced mounting criticism for allowing indiscriminate killing of bears with no scientific basis, threatening not only individual bears but entire bear communities. Research shows older brown bears play key roles in teaching younger bears how to fish, forage, and survive — knowledge that’s lost when experienced bears are killed.

Local businesses and Alaska state senators were also urged to take a stand against the killings. Thousands of advocates pledged to boycott travel to Alaska until the aerial gunning program ends, and called on tourism organizations encouraging them to publicly oppose the practice and support ethical alternatives.

“This court decision gives Alaska’s brown bears a much-needed reprieve,” said Katie Nolan, Wild Animals Campaigner for In Defense of Animals. “Killing programs ignore the ecological importance of bears and the values of people who want to see them protected. It’s encouraging to see the courts recognize that what’s lawful also needs to be responsible.”

In Defense of Animals will continue to support Alaska Wildlife Alliance in its efforts to end the Mulchatna predator control program for good and ensure Alaska’s wild animals are treated with the respect they deserve.

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Contacts: 

Lisa Levinson, Campaigns Director, lisa@idausa.org, (215) 620-2130 

Katie Nolan, Wild Animal Campaign Specialist, katie@idausa.org, ‪(601) 207-0076

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of defending animals, humans, and the environment, through education and campaigns as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, California, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org/wildanimals

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