Ashley Judd Takes On Alaska Governor Palin's Support Of Aerial Wolf Hunting

February 4, 2009 12:40 p.m. EST

Juneau, AK (AHN) - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is not making many friends in animal rights circles for her bold proposition to expand aerial killing of wolves in her state.

Actress Ashley Judd accuses the governor of "casting aside science and championing the slaughter of wildlife."

A video, posted by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund has also alleged that Palin was offering a $150 bounty on the forepaw of any wolf slain.

The government response is that the wolves are being hunted as a means of predator control, in order to maximize the population of other forms of life in the state.

It is currently legal in Alaska to utilize an airplane in the hunts of wolves, and it has been common in the past to do so for polar bears as well.

Hunting enthusiasts call the behavior unsportsmanlike, as it violates the "fair chase" ethic, which states that a hunter must behave in a way that brings no dishonor to themselves, their prey or their environment.