More than a year after the Alberta government announced the creation of a network of hunters, shoot “problem” grizzliesThe province says one bear was killed.
“To date, four grizzly bear responders have been called to respond to grizzly bear conflicts, and only one grizzly bear has been fatally killed.– Mikhail Plenits, press secretary of the Ministry of Forestry, said in a statement.
“In all four cases, grizzly bears were responsible for killing livestock.”
During Tuesday's legislative meeting, Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen confirmed that a bear was killed in mid-June near Twin Butte, a village in the Pincher Creek municipality in southern Alberta.
Grizzly bear hunting has been prohibited in Alberta since 2006. Wildlife Management Responder Network programwhich came into force by order of the ministry in June 2024.
The provincial grizzly bear rescue pool is made up of qualified hunters who apply and are selected to participate in the program. When a situation arises where the province deems it appropriate to kill a grizzly bear, these hunters may be called upon.
The province said the program is not considered a bear hunt, although the program also states that after tracking and shooting a grizzly bear, the respondent may keep the bear's meat, pelt and all other parts of the animal except its gallbladder.
Killing grizzlies is the solution, ex-officer says
Retired Alberta Fish and Wildlife officer John Clark has been involved with the province's wildlife management programs throughout his career. He said bear awareness is at the heart of preventing human-grizzly bear conflict in rural Alberta, and that trying to keep bears from being drawn into populated areas will go a long way toward eliminating the need to kill them.
“Instead of just killing bear after bear, you want to stop the problems,” he said.
He pointed to government investment in financial support to keep bears away from farms. This includes installing electric fences, upgrading grain silos and removing dead livestock.
Clark said the province allowing members of the public to shoot “problem” grizzlies instead of forcing fish and wildlife officers to do so is “probably a little bit of bear management, a little bit of politics and that kind of thing.”
He noted that despite the province's approval of the program last year, Alberta Fish and Wildlife “euthanizes quite a few bears and grizzly bears during the season.”
“Instead of killing it, they call a hunter to come and shoot it … giving the local a chance to harvest the animal,” Clark said.
One of Clark's biggest concerns is the possibility of the wrong bear being killed, meaning hunters must be diligent in confirming that the bear in their sights is actually the one they are allowed to shoot.
Minister says program responds to 'negative grizzly-human interactions'
In an interview with CBC News, Lowen said that while he considers the province's grizzly bear recovery program a success, the province is still “concerned about the negative interactions between grizzlies and humans that are occurring.” The Wildlife Management Responder Network is designed to address this problem.
“We're definitely seeing an increase in the distribution of grizzly bears across the province, as well as an increase in their density,” Lowen said.
In a report last year, the province said Alberta's grizzly bear population “increased from about 800 to more than 1,150, forcing them to move into more populated areas.”
“WI've heard many reports about this negative interactions with grizzlies… and there were a lot of them cattle killed grizzly,” Lowen said.
Mountain View Bear SmartAn organization that tracks encounters with bears and other large carnivores in central Alberta lists numerous cases of grizzly bears attacking landowners' animals. Most recently, on October 16, a grizzly bear killed a goat.
Mountain View County beekeepers Simone and Steven Dold often have to deal with intruders trying to steal their hives, like this grizzly bear. The brazen villain tried to commit a night robbery, but did not get the honey he was looking for.
“We don’t want people to lose their livelihoods because of these types of negative interactions,” Lowen said.
provinces recovery plan includes restoration of grizzly bear habitat in places such as Kananaskis Country and other areas of bear management, as well as raising awareness of proper coexistence with bears through educational programs such as Bear Smart.
