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Grizzly Bears Need Your Help
This photo of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin just about says it all (Anchorage Daily News, September 2007)
Governor Sarah Palin Wants Grizzly Bears Dead I think its obvious from this picture how Alaska Governor Sarah Palin feels about grizzly bear conservation. Sarah Palin believes that grizzly bears – and all wildlife, exist for the sole purpose of human consumption. This photograph was published in the Anchorage Daily News amidst great controversy over the hunting of habituated bears in the Katmai Preserve. The majority of Alaskans (even sport hunters) oppose the shooting of habituated bears in the Katmai Preserve. Yet Palin posed deliberately next to a dead bear to a make a point – that she will do everything in her power to make sure grizzly bears are mercilessly shot for pleasure in Alaska. Palin even spent $400,000 of state money to fund a media campaign to convince Alaskans to support aerial shooting of wolves and bears, even though Alaskans have voted against it- twice! Habituated grizzly bears have been shot at bear viewing sites around the state – as a statement to bear advocates that Alaska is about shooting animals, not understanding them. Please help grizzly bears by contacting Sarah Palin and letting her know that you do not support her wildlife policies. (click here to read the entire article)
Contact Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin Tell Governor Palin and Alaska Fish and Game that you oppose the slaughter of bears, wolves and other predators. Mention that you oppose the hunting of habituated grizzly bears in the Katmai Preserve. Tell them you support the abolishment of the Board of Game, which is comprised entirely of trophy hunters. These ignorant trophy hunters set most wildlife policies in Alaska.
Even Katmai bears can be hunted! Learn more here.
Other Ways to Help
Don't buy fur or other wild animal products In addition to fur also avoid other wild animal products such as bear claws/teeth, walrus ivory, and Alaskan art adorned with fur. Tell merchants you oppose the sale of fur Let them know that they are losing your business and money by selling animal parts for profit.
Boycott businesses that do trophy hunting Shockingly, many bear viewing operators (in Katmai and elsewhere) do grizzly bear viewing in the summer, then transport trophy hunters to kill grizzly bears in the fall. Ask before booking a tour or flight if the tour company transports hunters in the fall.
Help keep grizzly bear viewing in Katmai ethical Until grizzly bear hunting is banned in the Katmai Preserve, it is unethical to teach bears that humans are safe by bear viewing there. Before booking a grizzly bear viewing tour, make sure the tour operator only works in the Katmai National Park boundaries.
Urge your Representatives to protect bears and wildlife Oppose oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and support policies which protect wildlife and their habitat. For contact information visit www.senate.gov and www.house.gov
Tell others about this website Spread the word that grizzly bears aren't ruthless killers and that peaceful co-existence is possible when bears aren't hunted.
Support organizations protecting Alaska's wildlife Alaska Wildlife Alliance - www.akwildlife.org Friends of McNeil River - www.mcneilbears.org Defender's of Wildlife - www.defenders.org Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) - www.nrdc.org
Why grizzly bears desperately need your help
A world without bears is in the very near future In the lower 48 grizzly bears have been pushed into only 2 % of their previous range. One hundred years ago there were over 10,000 grizzlies living like Katmai bears on the California coast. Now there are none. This same atrocity is now happening in Alaska.
Trophy hunters are slaughtering Alaska's bears This year the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game (ADFG) hopes to exterminate 1,400 bears out of a population of 2,000 in an area west of Anchorage. Hunting is especially devastating to bears because their reproduction is designed for being at the top of the food chain. Unlike prey species, who produce many offspring each year, bears have small litters every 3-5 years.
Predator control decimates entire populations Designed to boost moose populations compromised by trophy hunting, ADFG predator control policies remove all restrictions on the hunting of predators. Huge populations of bears and wolves, living in balance with their prey, are exterminated using cruel practices like aerial shooting, trapping and baiting.
Alaska's bears are being given away to tourists The fur industry kills thousands of bears every year to be sold as souvenirs to tourists. Bear and wolf pelts are sold just about everywhere in Alaska from gas stations to fur stores.
Bears are tortured for their gall bladders In Asia there is a huge market for bear gall bladders which are falsely believed to increase male virility. Poachers commonly restrain and torture bears for days to make their gall bladders swell before "harvesting". While probably little poaching occurs in Katmai, it is common elsewhere in Alaska, Canada, and especially Russia.
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NEWS ALERT (3/24/08) : A new federal bill called the Bear Protection Act (H.R. 3029) is being considered by Congress. This bill would protect bears by prohibiting the import, export, and interstate commerce of bear gallbladders and bile. Bear gallbladders are commonly used in Asia because they are falsely believed to be an aphrodisiac. Bears are tortured for days in order to make their gallbladder swell before harvesting. Please call your representative and urge them to co-sponsor the Bear Protection Act (HR 3029) which could save thousands of bears from a horribly painful death. To find your U.S. Representative either call 202-224-3121 or go to www.congress.org where you can find your representatives by simply entering your zip code. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
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