PETITION TARGET: U.S. Lawmakers
Last year, a man in New York allegedly lured a bear with cracked corn and sunflower seeds, fatally shot the innocent animal, and then posed for photos with the lifeless body — shamelessly flaunting his cruelty on social media, according to local news.
Bear baiting — the act of luring bears with food for the purpose of hunting them — is illegal in New York and this perpetrator is facing prosecution. However, the cruel practice remains legal in other areas across the U.S.
A recently introduced federal bill, called the Don’t Feed the Bears Act of 2025, would ban ‘bear baiting’ on federal public lands, helping protect future animals from this horrific fate.
“The practice of bear baiting creates danger for both people and animals, contradicting what federal agencies tell the public: do not feed bears,” said Congressman Shri Thanedar, the bill’s primary sponsor.
If passed, H.R. 4422 would require federal land management agencies to both prohibit bear baiting and enforce those protections. Additionally, it would direct the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to strengthen enforcement of existing policies that already restrict feeding wildlife.
Beyond the cruelty of hunting, leaving food out for bears can make them reliant on humans, which may increase the chance of bear-human encounters and result in bears being labeled ‘nuisance animals’ and then killed.
Sign our petition urging U.S. lawmakers to advance H.R. 4422 and end the cruel and dangerous practice of bear baiting on America’s public lands.
