After grizzly’s death, environmental groups to sue Fish and Game over Idaho bear baiting

Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) – Several biology activistic groups connected Monday notified authorities officials and nan Idaho Department of Fish and Game that they intend to record a suit complete nan agency’s allowance of carnivore baiting, which nan groups said put federally protected grizzly bears astatine consequence and break nan Endangered Species Act.

The announcement came a period aft a huntsman successful North Idaho mistakenly changeable and killed a grizzly carnivore astatine a ineligible bait site. In a news release past month, Fish and Game officials said nan huntsman had sent video to nan agency to find whether nan carnivore was a achromatic carnivore aliases a grizzly. Fish and Game said unit “misidentified nan young carnivore arsenic a achromatic carnivore because it lacked immoderate communal features of a grizzly.”

RELATED | Hunter mistakenly shoots and kills grizzly carnivore successful bluish Idaho

The groups — Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians, Wilderness Watch and Friends of nan Clearwater — cited nan incident successful their intent to sue. In the document, nan groups asked Fish and Game to extremity allowing carnivore baiting successful grizzly habitat. They said defendants successful nan suit, to beryllium revenge successful 60 days, will see Gov. Brad Little, Fish and Game Director Jim Fredericks and members of nan Fish and Game Commission.

Fish and Game did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Idaho Fish and Game allows nan usage of bait — attractants for illustration synthetic scents, nongame meat, baked equipment and much — to hunt achromatic bears successful dozens of its 99 crippled guidance units. It notes successful its large crippled rules that grizzlies whitethorn beryllium coming successful much than a twelve of those units.

Hunters must acquisition a licence and follow regulations to group up a bait site.

In their announcement of intent to sue, nan biology groups said carnivore baiting is putting grizzlies astatine consequence of being killed by hunters aliases creating quality conflicts by becoming habituated to humans arsenic a root of food. In nan past respective years, Fish and Game has killed respective grizzly bears that it said became habituated to humans.

The biology groups said that added consequence is successful nonstop conflict pinch Endangered Species Act protections. In nan contiguous United States, grizzly bears are still classified arsenic an at-risk species, and hunting them is illegal.

The groups said nan lawsuit of mistaken personality successful nan June grizzly sidesplitting does not absolve Fish and Game of violating nan national act. As a 3rd party, nan groups said, nan agency is responsible erstwhile grizzlies are killed nether its rules and regulations.

“A huntsman successful Idaho, acting successful accordance pinch Idaho laws and regulations precocious killed a grizzly bear,” nan announcement of intent said. “The truth that this individual did not intend to hunt and termination a grizzly carnivore is inconsequential.”

Three of nan 4 groups that revenge nan announcement of intent to writer were besides statement to a suit revenge successful 2021 to effort to curb wolf trapping and snaring successful parts of Idaho. The case, which they referenced successful nan announcement of intent to sue, based on that grizzlies could beryllium harmed by ineligible traps and snares group for wolves. Earlier this year, a national judge curbed trapping and snaring successful immoderate parts of nan authorities successful consequence to nan lawsuit.