Alaska’s iconic brown bears are once again under attack. Despite widespread opposition and a brief legal victory, the state has reinstated its cruel Mulchatna bear control program, allowing helicopters to chase and shoot bears from the sky. Families are shattered, cubs are left without mothers, and entire bear communities face devastation.

Earlier this year, we urged you to speak out against this barbaric plan, and you didn’t disappoint. In May, a court issued an emergency injunction that halted the aerial slaughter, saving bears’ lives at the very start of the killing season. We celebrated that hard-won victory, thanks to the tireless advocacy of our allies at Alaska Wildlife Alliance.

Unfortunately, that victory was short-lived. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game pushed forward once again, voting to reopen the massive bear-killing program across more than 40,000 square miles. Before the court’s initial ruling, 11 bears were already gunned down. Now, many more lives are at risk as the program resumes. This isn’t science-based management. This is cruelty, and it threatens the very fabric of bear communities in Alaska.

We stand with Alaska Wildlife Alliance in calling for a permanent end to aerial gunning. Together, we will continue to expose this violence and press decision-makers to choose compassion over killing.

Learn more about our work for Alaska’s bears and other wild animals, and support efforts to end this cruelty once and for all. Together, we can defend these animals and their right to live free.