A state judge has ruled that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game cannot proceed with its controversial bear killing plan this spring. Superior Judge Christina Rankin declared the agency’s predator control program unconstitutional despite an emergency authorization from the Alaska Board of Game.
The program designed to increase caribou numbers in the Mulchatna region has eliminated 175 brown bears, five black bears, and 19 wolves since spring 2023. Officials aimed to remove predators threatening the declining caribou population, but critics argue bears are not responsible for the herd’s collapse.
On Wednesday, Judge Rankin responded to the Alaska Wildlife Alliance’s request for a restraining order, ruling that the predator control program remains legally invalid. She emphasized that Superior Court Judge Andrew Guidi had already found the program unconstitutional and still binding on March 14.
Rankin’s order stated that the state failed to meet required conditions, including proper public notice and an analysis of the program’s impact on bear populations. Nicole Schmitt, executive director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, called the ruling a victory despite the absence of a formal restraining order.
The Alaska Board had approved emergency action on March 27, arguing that immediate predator control was necessary before the caribou calving season. State officials claimed the operation had to occur in spring and early summer to protect newborn calves from predators.
However, Rankin questioned the emergency justification, accusing the state of trying to circumvent Guidi’s ruling. “The emergency was created because you lost with Judge Guidi,” she told Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Del Frate during Tuesday’s hearing. A Department of Fish and Game spokesperson said Thursday that officials were still reviewing the judge’s decision and had not announced the next steps.
