Protect Radio-Collared Study Bears from Hunters

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Today, more than ever, the fate of the American black bear lies in the hands of humans. As people move into bear habitat with greater frequency, their ability to coexist with bears is paramount to the species’ survival.

For years, Dr. Lynn Rogers and the Wildlife Research Institute in Ely have directly addressed this critical issue. The institute is home to the North American Bear Center, the nation’s most comprehensive bear education and outreach program. The main focus of the program is to foster greater understanding of black bear behavior and bear-human relations by respectfully studying several radio-collared bears in their natural habitats, including their dens.

These groundbreaking studies have put Minnesota on the map as a leader in black bear education and research. The radio-collared Ely bears are studied in nearly 500 schools, and the center’s Den-Cams are watched throughout the United States and in 54 countries across the world. Thousands of people visit Ely each year to celebrate, respect and learn from the radio-collared study bears.

But not everyone feels the same way about Minnesota’s study bears. Recently, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) decided it is unnecessary to protect the radio-collared study bears from hunters during the hunting season starting on Sept. 1.

Instead of protecting this small population of bears (the center studied only 14 radio-collared black bears last fall), the MDNR stands by the state’s current law, an impractical provision that makes it illegal to shoot a radio-collared bear only if it is accompanied by a researcher.

Asking hunters not to shoot radio-collared bears has not worked. In fact, the center has lost six radio-collared research bears since 2005, including two just last year. The hunting of any radio-collared bear is not only a tragic loss of life, it is also a tremendous loss to the invaluable promotion of peaceful coexistence between humans and bears.

Please help protect the Minnesota study bears today. Ask MDNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr and Gov. Mark Dayton to issue an emergency order to make hunting of radio-collared bears illegal.

This action alert is for residents of the following states only: Minnesota