Alaska is the only state where wolves are not listed under the Endangered Species Act, but conservationists maintain the legislation could put wolf populations at risk. Monitoring aerial wolf hunts will be a great challenge, Bennett said. Alaska is a vast place and tens of thousands of people will hold these licenses. We know from past experience that the practice leads to other abuses such as chasing wolves to exhaustion, herding wolves and shooting them from the air. The Anchorage Daily News reported that one Alaska resident gunned down 60 wolves from his private plane over a three-year period.
Airplanes are mechanical hawks.
The lion's share of support for the legislation came from sport hunters who believe wolf-control programs increase game populations. These populations have been declining dramatically. Bishop added that the governor garnered much of his support from animal protection groups and environmentalists. But wildlife management officials and conservationists say the aerial hunting strategy is based on myth and not science. All Rights Reserved.