Alaska court greenlights bear killings to aid caribou recovery

A Superior Court judge ruled that Alaska can resume killing bears, including from helicopters, as part of a plan to bolster the Mulchatna caribou herd. The decision comes after conservation groups failed to show the state lacked a reasonable basis for the plan amid ongoing litigation over data on bear sustainability. Officials say bear removals, which totaled about 180 bears in 2023–2024 plus 11 more last year, have coincided with the herd’s slow recovery and are timed to protect calves during the calving season. The case is part of a long-running dispute over the program’s adoption and effectiveness.