PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A group that wants to ban bear baiting in Maine is seeking an emergency injunction to halt the state's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife from using its resources to campaign against the statewide referendum.

The Portland Press Herald reports that the motion, filed Wednesday in Cumberland County Superior Court by Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting, also asks the court to compel the agency to disclose records concerning its political activities.

The group filed a lawsuit on Sept. 30 accusing the agency of illegally using taxpayer money to conduct a political campaign in opposition to the measure.

A November ballot question will ask voters if they want to prohibit hunting bears while using bait, dogs, or traps. Proponents of the ban say such hunting methods are cruel.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald, www.pressherald.com