Feds: Bear Whisperer Star Is a Bear Poacher

Blaine Anthony accused of illegally killing bears in Alaska park
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 13, 2022 12:46 PM CDT
Feds: Bear Whisperer Star Is a Bear Poacher
"Black bears occur throughout the park and represent a significant wildlife component of its ecosystem," the federal complaint states.   (NPS.gov)

The "Bear Whisperer" is a bear poacher, according to federal investigators. Harvey Neil Anthony, star and producer of a hunting show called the Bear Whisperer, is accused of illegally hunting bears in a national park in Alaska, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The 55-year-old, who goes by the name Blaine Anthony on the show, allegedly killed at least two black bears in Kenai Fjords National Park, where hunting is banned, according to court documents. Anthony also allegedly filed paperwork lying about where one bear was killed before he had it taxidermied and transported to his home in Maine.

The Bear Whisperer, which first aired on the Sportsman Channel in 2011, released its eighth season last year. According to the Hunting Channel, it aims to entertain viewers with "upbeat and exciting hunts" and also "educate them on all that pertains to conserving and protecting the future of the bears." In some episodes, Anthony works with wildlife officials to tag bears, the Daily News reports. Federal authorities say Anthony and his production company, Nature Productions, used footage of two illegal kills in the show.

When the dead bear was taken out of the park in 2017, Blaine and his company "knew or should have known (it) was taken, possessed, and transported in violation of federal and state laws, in that the black bear was killed within the boundaries of the Kenai Fjords National Park," the federal complaint states. Blaine and Nature Productions have been charged with two counts of violating the Lacey Act of 1900, which bans bringing illegally killed wildlife across state lines, Outdoor Life reports. The maximum penalty per count is $100,000 for an individual and $200,000 for an organization. (A soldier was fatally mauled by a bear in Alaska Tuesday.)

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