JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A judge says Alaska wildlife agents can resume shooting and killing bears as part of a plan to help recover a herd of caribou that was once an important source of food for Alaska Native hunters. Two conservation groups sought to halt the program while they challenged its legality. They argue […]

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A judge says Alaska wildlife agents can resume shooting and killing bears as part of a plan to help recover a herd of caribou that was once an important source of food for Alaska Native hunters. Two conservation groups sought to halt the program while they challenged its legality. They argue the program lacks a scientific basis. But a Superior Court judge says Wednesday the groups had failed to show that the state acted without a reasonable basis for approving the plan. The Mulchatna caribou herd in southwest Alaska is expected to begin soon having calves, which are particularly susceptible to being eaten by bears or wolves. By Becky Bohrer, Associated Press Banner image: Two brown bears look for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, July 4, 2013. Image by Mark Thiessen, Associated PressThis article was originally published on Mongabay

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