Judd Cries Wolf Over Palin's Hunting Stance

Ashley Judd teams up with Defenders of Wildlife to campaign against Alaska's Palin-supported aerial hunting practices

By Gina Serpe Feb 05, 2009 3:25 PMTags

According to Ashley Judd, the biggest threat to wolves in Alaska is the elephant. In particular, the one running the state.

The actress and activist has teamed up with the animal rights group Defenders of Wildlife for a campaign aimed at stopping Alaska's aerial hunting practices, in which well-armed "sportsmen" shoot at bears and wolves from airplanes. Judd and pals have targeted one of the practice's chief proponents, Gov. Sarah Palin.

"Palin is again casting aside science and championing the slaughter of wildlife," Judd said in a video for the cause. "It is time to stop Sarah Palin and stop this senseless savagery."

The group is seeking donations to help end the predator control program by proposing new federal legislation.

The governor, who was targeted by the group last fall in the run-up to the presidential election, declared the Defenders of Wildlife an "extreme fringe group" that is "twisting the truth." She further called out their "reprehensible and hypocritical" use of her state and herself to boost fundraising.

Palin maintains that the predatory animals are decimating the moose and caribou populations in the state, which Alaskans depend on for "food and cultural practices."