More than a year after the Alberta government announced the creation of a hunter network to shoot “problematic” grizzly bearsThe province says a bear has been killed.
“To date, four grizzly rescuers have been called to address grizzly conflicts, and only one grizzly bear has been lethally removed.“Ministry of Forests and Parks press secretary Michael Plenits said in a statement.
Plenits and other provincial spokesmen did not confirm when and where the brown bear was killed.
“In all four cases, grizzly bears were responsible for killing livestock,” Plenits said.
Grizzly bear hunting in Alberta has been prohibited since 2006. This remains the case except in select cases through provincial authorities. Wildlife Management Response Network programwhich came into force by ministerial order in June 2024.
The province’s “grizzly first responders” group is made up of qualified hunters who applied and were selected for the program. When a situation arises where the province deems it appropriate to kill a grizzly bear, those hunters can be turned to.
The province has said the program is not considered a bear hunt, although the program also states that after tracking and shooting a grizzly bear, a rescuer can keep the meat, skin and all other parts of the animal except its gallbladder.
Killing grizzly bears is a band-aid solution, says former officer
John Clarke, a retired Alberta Fish and Wildlife officer, was involved in the province’s wildlife management programs throughout his career. He said being aware of bears is key to avoiding conflicts between humans and grizzly bears in rural Alberta, and that trying to prevent bears from being attracted to populated areas would go a long way toward not having to kill them.
“Instead of just killing bear after bear, you want to stop the problems,” he said.
He noted the government’s investment in financial support to keep bears off farms. That includes installing electric fences, upgrading grain storage units and removing dead livestock.
Clarke said the province authorizing members of the public to shoot “problematic” grizzly bears instead of Fish and Wildlife officers doing so is “probably a little bit of bear management, a little bit of politics, things like that.”
He noted that regardless of the province’s authorization of this program last year, Alberta Fish and Wildlife “euthanizes quite a few bears, grizzly bears, during the season.”
“Instead of killing it, they’re calling a hunter to come and shoot it… giving a resident the opportunity to capture that animal,” Clarke said.
One of Clarke’s biggest concerns is the possibility of killing the wrong bear, which means hunters must be diligent in confirming that the bear in their sights is, in fact, the one they are authorized to shoot.
Minister says program responds to ‘negative interaction between grizzlies and humans’
In an interview with CBC News, Forests and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said that while he considers the province’s grizzly bear recovery program to be a success so far, the province is still “concerned about the negative grizzly-human interaction that has been occurring,” which is what the The Wildlife Management Response Network is intended to address.
“We’re definitely seeing a greater distribution of grizzly bears across the province and also a greater density,” Loewen said.
In a statement last year, the province said Alberta’s grizzly bear population had “increased from approximately 800 to more than 1,150 now, causing them to move into more populated areas.”
“W.We heard many reports about these negative interactions with brown bears… and there have been many killed cattle for grizzly bears,” Loewen said.
Smart bear with mountain viewan organization that tracks encounters with bears and other large carnivores in central Alberta, lists numerous cases of landowners who saw their animals attacked by grizzly bears. Most recently, a grizzly bear killed a goat on October 16.
Mountain View County beekeepers Simone and Steven Dold often have to deal with unwanted guests trying to steal from their hives, like this grizzly bear. The brazen thug tried to carry out a nighttime robbery, but didn’t get the honey he was looking for.
“We don’t want people to lose their livelihoods because of these types of negative interactions,” Loewen said.
the province recovery plan includes restoring brown bear habitat in places like Kananaskis Country and other bear management areas, as well as raising awareness about proper coexistence with bears through educational programs such as Bear Smart.
