New Trump rule allows hunters to bait bears in Alaska with doughnuts, bacon and meat scraps for the 'thrill' of killing a defenseless animal at close range

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Photo: https://alaskabearbaiting.com/

Critics decry Trump administration rule that lets hunters lure bears with human foods on federal lands in Alaska

Tom Perkins

Sat 24 Oct 2026 22.00 AEDT

A new Trump administration rule allows hunters to bait bears on federal lands in Alaska with bacon, doughnuts, meat scraps or other human foods typically used to help kill the trophy animals at close range.

Photo: https://alaskabearbaiting.com/

Opponents say the practice will cause bears to be more aggressive around humans, and allege that the rule change is a political gift to largely right wing trophy hunters. The rule replaces a 2024 Biden administration rule that banned the practice, and environmental groups criticized the move as “indefensible and inexcusable”.

“We are discouraged to see this rule come back, specifically the bear baiting piece which is cruel and dangerous, not only to wildlife but the public as well,” said Drew Robertson, senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals

“We are discouraged to see this rule come back, specifically the bear baiting piece which is cruel and dangerous, not only to wildlife but the public as well,” said Drew Robertson, senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals.

The US interior department on Friday published the rule on the federal register, and it will take effect in mid-November. It marks the latest in a series of rule changes at the state and federal levels since 2023 that allow trophy hunters to use what critics say are barbaric and unethical practices to kill animals.

Doug Burgum, the secretary of the interior, wrote in a press release that the latest rule was developed in response to demands by Alaska residents and it was a “commonsense framework and gives Alaskans a stronger voice in decisions affecting the lands, wildlife and traditions they know best”.

The federal rule does not list specific foods that are allowed, but it defers to state rules, which allow for baiting, and hunters typically use “the cheapest and most effective food, which is high fat and high sugar”, said Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law. Hunters typically put food in a steel drum or garbage can, monitor the bait, then set up from a nearby blind from which they kill the bear at short range, Arrivo said.

The practice raises broader ethical questions around the spirit and intent of sport hunting.

“It is a more extreme practice than the hunting traditions that people think of, and many hunters would not see this as a fair chase,” Robertson said.

The move comes after Alaska and federal officials in recent years started allowing sport hunters to hunt big game with controversial practices, like shooting bears from helicopters, shooting swimming caribou from motor boats, killing wolf pups in their dens and using artificial lights to draw bears out of the dens to kill them. The bear baiting is not highly unusual as about a dozen states allow similar practices, but more do not.

The rule change came at the direction of Donald Trump in an executive order, called Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential, which was issued in his second administration’s early days.

“It was a priority for the president … and he included direction to reissue this rule, which says that there is a political motivation, not something that seems to be derived from careful consideration,” Robertson said.

This baiting rule has a long history. A ban was first put in place by Barack Obama’s administration, then undone by the first Trump administration. Litigation upheld the Obama rule and overturned the Trump rule. The Biden administration then reimplemented the rule in 2024, largely because science shows that the practice will make bears more aggressive, and put park visitors’ lives at risk.

Though the Trump administration has said the rule was designed to give the state more control over the land, the lands are federal and Congress created the federal land program to give the federal government decision-making power, not state governments, Arrivo said. He said it “is anathema to federal land management goals … of preserving wildlife diversity”.

Though no decision has yet been made about a lawsuit, Arrivo said the interior department’s decision to fully scrap the 2024 rule that underwent a more robust scientific process “doesn’t smell right and raises questions about the legality of this rule”

446 pieces of elephant ivory seized in Thailand: Behind every ivory seizure is a heartbreaking reminder of the suffering these magnificent animals endure for their tusks.

 

Photo Credit: Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP)

An investigation into suspected international wildlife trafficking continues in Thailand after authorities discovered 446 pieces of elephant ivory concealed inside timber logs at Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi Province.

The seizure was announced on October 7, after customs officials inspected two shipping containers declared as carrying 568 processed timber logs from Zambia.

Following intelligence shared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), officers identified 32 modified logs containing hidden ivory and unidentified animal remains.

In a significant development announced on October 16, Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation confirmed that more than 70 officials participated in a detailed examination of the confiscated ivory and animal remains.

Wildlife forensic specialists collected DNA samples to help determine their origins. Preliminary examinations suggested that some of the unidentified animal remains could belong to a tiger or lion, although their species have not yet been confirmed. Authorities expect the DNA results to take approximately one to two months.

The investigation is also examining possible connections to wildlife trafficking cases in Southeast Asia. Thai officials have requested cooperation from CITES authorities in Vietnam and Laos to compare information from similar cases and determine whether the operations may be connected.

According to the department, evidence may also be shared with Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and INTERPOL if links to international organized crime are established.

The seizure underscores the devastating impact of the illegal ivory trade on elephants in both Africa and Asia, who continue to face the threat of poaching and exploitation.

The discovery of ivory and other animal remains concealed inside timber shipments also raises serious concerns about the methods used by criminal networks to transport illegally traded wildlife products across international borders.

Behind every ivory seizure is a heartbreaking reminder of the suffering these magnificent animals endure for their tusks.

World Animal News and Peace 4 Animals commend the authorities and organizations involved in uncovering this illegal shipment and urge continued international cooperation to identify and prosecute those responsible.

No elephant should ever lose their life for ivory. Protecting these extraordinary animals and ensuring a future where they can thrive in the wild must remain a global priority.

Origen: World Animal News

After the death of a tourist and 40 dead horses in the last 20 years due to heat exhaustion and traffic accidents, New York bans horse-drawn carriages

 

For decades, New York City's carriage horse industry has operated on a fantasy that these horse-drawn vehicles can carry some romance of an earlier time. But animals are not symbols; they are living, breathing individuals with needs, instincts and intentions all their own. By ending the use of horse-drawn carriages, the City Council has recognized that no maintenance of tradition should come at the expense of risks to animals and people.  

The end of horse-drawn carriage rides in New York City is something to celebrate. It is an acknowledgement that the best way to honor horses is to refrain from asking them to keep carrying yesterday’s burdens amid today’s traffic, crowds, noise and other stressors. It is a recognition that we now understand and can provide what these animals need to thrive. Horses are highly sensitive animals with powerful flight instincts; they cannot exist happily or safely alongside the traffic, noise and congestion of New York City streets.  

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who brokered the deal with the New York City Council to advance this legislation, now has 30 days to sign Intro 943, veto or to simply allow the bill to pass without action on his part.  

The end of this inhumane and outdated industry follows years of incidents that have endangered horses and people alike.  

Just this past June, an 18-year-old tourist tragically died in a runaway carriage accident. And earlier that month, a 16-year-old carriage horse collapsed while pulling passengers in Central Park and later died. In the lead up to this vote, we issued a special report showing that the carriage horse industry is simply untenable in a place like New York. That report, Who is responsible for protecting New York City’s carriage horses? examines the inherent problems with keeping carriage horses in and around Manhattan’s Central Park as a tourist attraction. I’ve urged that the horses be retired to sanctuaries, and that drivers in this industry should be offered help to transition to other livelihoods, to ensure the end of this custom be as humane and compassionate as possible for everyone.   

Dozens of rescues, sanctuaries and nonprofit organizations, including Humane World for Animals, have offered placement options for horses currently working in the city, and we look forward to the moment when the harnesses are finally unbuckled and the last New York City carriage horses are safely removed from the streets.   

Kitty Block is president and CEO of Humane World for Animals. 

After petting a carriage horse in New York's Central Park at the age of five, Alexus Lawson was hooked.

She has driven a carriage in Manhattan's most famous park, pulled by her horses, for six years. But since Lawson heard about the city's vote this week to outlaw the carriages over animal and public-safety concerns, she has been worried.

"What am I supposed to do with my horse?" asked the 28-year-old, referring to Starlight. "You're going to tell me I can't work with her anymore? How am I supposed to ensure her health?"

Lawson is one of roughly 200 horse-drawn carriage drivers in Central Park. Use of the carriages has been an at-times controversial tradition for over 160 years that has become a popular tourist activity.

On Thursday, New York City Council voted to pass a ban on the carriages, beginning in June 2028. The proposal is backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who said he will help develop a transition plan for workers in the industry.

Several drivers told the BBC that they did not want new jobs and disputed claims their horses were mistreated - even as many New Yorkers and tourists welcomed the ban.

Drivers of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park are concerned for their future - while animal activists see the ban as a victory

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) — Hugs, tears, barking and tail wagging at San Quentin’s prison when two black Labradors reunited with the incarcerated men who helped raise them to be service dogs.

 

The emotional reunion brought together Chase Benoit, Jared Hansen and the 2-year-old dogs they helped train: Wendel and Artemis. It was the men’s first time seeing their former canine companions again and their first time meeting the dogs’ disabled handlers in person.

The encounter Friday in San Quentin’s main courtyard brought Benoit and Hansen full circle after helping launch the prison’s puppy training program in April 2023.

“Being in this program, it’s given me something that I think I’ve searched for my whole life,” said Benoit, who is serving 15 years-to-life for second-degree murder. “And that was meaningful purpose, doing something that’s good, better, bigger than myself and feeling like I’m part of something great.”

Robert Quigley, who is deaf, teared up after seeing his spirited dog Wendel bark and get excited when he saw Benoit, his old trainer.

“He remembers me, for sure, I could tell when he came in. I’m so happy that you love him, and that you have a bond,” Benoit told Quigley through an American Sign Language interpreter.

“He’s with me 24/7. He’s very gentle and good with people,” answered Quigley, a recent college graduate who took Wendel home in November after the black Labrador and golden retriever mix completed another six months of professional training outside prison.

Teaching pups the fundamentals in prison

Benoit and Jensen were part of an initial group of four incarcerated trainers who shared their 4 foot-by-10 foot cells with the 4-month-old puppies. The men divided the responsibility of caring for and teaching the dogs foundational commands for a year.

Canine Companions, a nonprofit based in Santa Rosa, runs the program and provides free service dogs to people with disabilities. It has built the San Quentin program to 16 trainers and two dog sitters who, as of this week, are training eight puppies.

Artemis, a black Labrador, was matched with Benjamin Carter, a veterinarian from Portland, Oregon, who uses a wheelchair, and traveled to California for the reunion.

Like proud parents, Carter and Hansen shared notes on Artemis’ calm and loving personality and penchant for cuddles.

“Seeing him in action and actually serving somebody in the community, it’s just … I’m at a loss for words right now. It’s amazing!” said Hansen, who has been in prison for 15 years for bank robbery.

Artemis, or Artie, pushes door plates, pulls doors open, fetches things around the house and does many other tasks that would be hard for Carter alone.

First work, then cuddles

“He is responsive when he’s working. He is cuddly when he is off the clock. He’s an amazing companion. And all that structure and love and trust was built from these guys here, so I’m just super grateful to them,” Carter said.

The value of time

.Dern said dogs trained in their prison programs have a 10% greater success rate at becoming service dogs than other candidates because of the amount of time and care that incarcerated puppy raisers put into their dogs.