A Win for Black Bears in Washington State
After a Center lawsuit, a judge has stopped — for now — the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife from issuing any more permits for killing black bears on private timberlands using bait, traps and other inhumane methods.
Despite the fact that voters in the state had already outlawed these cruel practices, the department created a program authorizing these types of bear killings by a small group of hunters in industry-owned forests. The judge's ruling, made last Friday, suspends that illegal program.
"This decision will save many bears from a cruel death, and that's a big relief," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "Now we'll focus on shutting down the program for good."
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