The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is keeping the heat on Alaska Gov. (and former VP candidate) Sarah Palin for supporting “aerial hunting” of wolves in Alaska. As part of a new advocacy campaign on Palin’s environmental record, the group has enlisted actress Ashley Judd to narrate a Web video that echoes an attack ad from this past election. The new video has been viewed more than 150,000 times on YouTube in a week and was even shown on today’s episode of ABC’s “The View.”
As with the ad we analyzed back in September, this new Defenders of Wildlife video is filled with emotional imagery. It is also mostly accurate, but gives a one-sided view. Alaskan officials say the aerial hunting practice is needed for “predator control” to help keep the populations of moose and caribou high for subsistence hunters. And the wolf program is limited to just 9 percent of the state’s land mass, or five of 26 Department of Fish and Game districts.
Palin has issued a response that says the video “distorts the facts about Alaska’s wildlife management programs. Alaskans depend on wildlife for food and cultural practices which can’t be sustained when predators are allowed to decimate moose and caribou populations.”
For FactCheck’s full explanation of the history, current laws and other issues in the debate, check out our original report.