U.S. groups fight to preserve polar bear hunt
Canada's controversial and lucrative sport hunting industry is the last legal one left in the world.
American polar bear hunters seemed destined for extinction last year when the U.S. government listed the iconic Arctic predator as “threatened” due to the rapid melting of its sea-ice habitat.
As a result, hunters were prohibited from importing their prized trophies into the United States. Animal rights and environmental groups thought the financial lifeline of Canada's controversial and lucrative polar bear sport hunting industry – the last legal one left in the world – was about to be killed off.
But powerful and well-financed American hunting groups have shot back with political lobbying efforts and a handful of lawsuits to overturn the listing under the Endangered Species Act.
Helping lead the fight is John J. Jackson III, a Louisiana-based lawyer and head of Conservation Force, a sport hunting advocacy group. He played a role in persuading the U.S. government in 1994 to reopen its borders to polar bear trophies harvested in approved Canadian polar bear populations.
See the complete story on The Globe and Mail.
