Animal Wellness Action calls the rule reckless and says it will sue
Animal Wellness ActionAnimal welfare advocacy group, in a press release issued jointly with the Center for a Humane Economy
In a release issued with the Center for a Humane Economy, Animal Wellness Action calls the rule reckless, describes bear baiting as a widely discredited practice and says the two groups will sue the Park Service to overturn the rule.
“The organizations announced that they will sue the agency to overturn this reckless rule, which restores the widely discredited practice of bear baiting on 20 million acres of lands managed by the NPS.”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
National Park Service finalizes rule letting sport hunters bait bears in Alaska's national preserves; animal welfare groups plan to sue
The National Park Service published a final rule on October 19, 2026, that ends its ban on sport hunters using bait to hunt black and brown bears in Alaska's national preserves and restores state-authorized harvest methods there. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says the rule restores the framework that guided Alaska park management for more than three decades and respects the state's role in managing fish and wildlife. Animal welfare and conservation groups say baiting teaches bears to associate people with food and puts visitors at risk, and two groups say they will sue. The rule takes effect November 18, 2026.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
The two groups announce that they will sue the National Park Service to overturn the final rule, with statements from president Wayne Pacelle and senior counsel Kate Schultz.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The release opens by saying the two groups condemned the final rule, which reverses a 2024 regulation prohibiting the use of food bait to hunt black and grizzly bears on roughly 20 million acres of national preserves in Alaska.
After the quotation
The release quotes Wayne Pacelle, president of both groups, who says the 2024 rulemaking "got it right" in finding that bear baiting is deadly for bears and for hikers, and calls the new rule "an absolute gutting of National Park Service principles".
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the National Park Service's final rule allowing sport hunters to use bait to hunt bears in Alaska's national preserves, part of its restoration of state-authorized harvest methods there. The group calls the rule reckless and baiting a widely discredited practice, and says it will sue to overturn the rule.
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More from this case
Read the full caseHumane World for Animals calls bear baiting a cruel practice and the rule a reversal of critical protections
Humane World for Animals
“The Trump administration today finalized a U.S. National Park Service rule that reverses critical wildlife protections for bears and once again allows the cruel practice of bear baiting on Alaska's national preserves.”Read statement
Alaska Fish and Game commissioner calls the rule a necessary return to the state-led framework
“We thank the Department of Interior and the National Park Service for making these and other changes in the rule. The change represents a necessary return to the fish and wildlife management framework established by the Alaska Constitution and reaffirmed in ANILCA, which had served Alaska for three decades”Read statement
Burgum says the final rule restores a commonsense framework for Alaska parks
“This final rule restores that commonsense framework and gives Alaskans a stronger voice in decisions affecting the lands, wildlife and traditions they know best, while ensuring the National Park Service continues to protect park resources for future generations.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Animal Wellness Action calls the rule reckless and says it will sue". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6350-in-a-release-issued-with-the-center-for