Don’t Feed the Bears Act of 2025

The Don’t Feed the Bears Act of 2025 would require federal agencies to adopt and enforce regulations that prohibit the intentional feeding of bears on federal public lands to end the practice known as bear baiting and reduce dangerous bear-human interactions. While federal land managers already discourage feeding, some allow hunters to set out bait on lands where state law permits baiting. The bill directs the Interior Department to enforce existing prohibitions on feeding wildlife in National Park System lands and on wildlife refuges, and it requires the Secretaries responsible for the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest System to adopt and enforce new regulations prohibiting bear feeding on their lands within one year. An exception is allowed in extraordinary cases for bear welfare, public safety, or authorized wildlife research.