New Trump rule allows hunters to bait bears in Alaska with doughnuts, bacon and more

The Interior Department has published a rule letting hunters on federal land in Alaska lure bears with human food such as bacon, doughnuts and meat scraps, The Guardian reports. It takes effect in mid-November and supersedes a 2024 Biden-era prohibition. Animal welfare advocates warn that the practice makes bears bolder around people and endangers the public, and they see the change as a favor to trophy hunters.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the measure answers requests from Alaskans, who he said should have more influence over land and wildlife decisions in their own state. The federal text names no foods but defers to Alaska law, which permits baiting. Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, said hunters generally choose cheap, fatty, sugary items, leave them in a drum or trash can, and shoot from a nearby blind. Arrivo also argued that Congress set up federal lands so Washington, not states, would control them.

Drew Robertson of Humane World for Animals said Donald Trump's executive order on Alaska resources directed the reissue, which he took as evidence of politics rather than careful study.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →