Fall bear hunting season has started, but much more is at risk

Dear Friend, Fight back against trophy hunting and Big Industry attacks on bears and their cubs and donate $27 before midnight tonight. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( The fall black bear hunting season has begun in states like Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, which are in the top 5 states with the most registered hunters -- something that could mean utter tragedy for bears in these areas. As these mammals prepare for hibernation -- many of them pregnant and preparing their den for their babies coming in January -- they may be staring down the barrel of a trophy hunter’s gun before they finish. [Protect bears and their cubs from meeting violent ends at the hands of trophy hunters and make your $27 contribution before midnight tonight to help us reach our $6,000 goal!]( It could get even worse once the spring hunt rolls around. By then, most bear cubs are born -- tiny, helpless, and hairless, weighing half a pound or less. They are completely dependent on their mamas, who use the little energy they have left in the spring to find food for their babies. But danger lurks for them. These mama bears can be shot down by trophy hunters before they even make it back to their dens, leaving their babies unprotected and vulnerable to starvation, predation, and the elements. Many orphaned cubs won’t survive without their mothers; just like that, an entire family is wiped out. Help save vulnerable animals like bear cubs and donate $27 to Friends of the Earth today. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Now, states in the northern Rockies are working to remove ESA protections for threatened grizzly bears. There are less than 3,000 grizzlies left in the lower 48 states, and Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming hold more than 80% of them -- simply because they have been protected in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. At their peak, grizzlies in the continental U.S. numbered at 50,000! But by 1975, human intervention dwindled their numbers to less than 1,000, prompting their Endangered Species Act protection. They’ve struggled at length to get to this point, but trophy hunters are chomping at the bit for the ability to hunt them once again -- and if they succeed, we could see history repeat itself, reducing grizzly populations back to historic lows. If grizzlies are no longer protected, they could also be subject to the violent hunting tactics that black bears face as we speak. These brutal practices include baiting to lure them out of the safety of their dens, trapping with painful metal clamps, and releasing hunting dogs to track and terrorize bears before they are murdered. For the sake of our wildlife and our planet, we can’t let trophy hunters and Big Polluters and their cronies in Congress destroy our public lands and wipe out our endangered species. Join the fight to save bears, defend endangered species, and protect our planet. Please make your contribution of $27 or more now. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Grizzlies play a pivotal role in keeping our ecosystem healthy and in balance. Standing up to eight feet tall and weighing in at up to 800 pounds, these intelligent creatures enhance biodiversity, enrich soils, regulate prey populations, and transport nutrients through different ecosystems as they roam far and wide. Your membership gift today to Friends of the Earth will allow us to use every tool available to protect vulnerable wildlife and our planet -- not Big Industry’s profits. We know how to fight and win, and that’s exactly what we plan to do. Today, we ask you to stand with us as we continue this work. We all need to raise our voices in defense of vulnerable species. Together, we have the power to stop these killings, defend wildlife and protect vital species before we lose them for good. We need to act fast to save grizzly cubs and adults. Protect vulnerable species and our planet with a $27 donation today! If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Standing with you, Raena Garcia, Fossil fuels and lands campaigner, Friends of the Earth Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 [Contact us]( Email Preferences: [Click here to unsubscribe]( Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Flickr]( © 2022, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved. [supporter]