The government in Alberta, Canada has announced an end to the 18-year ban on hunting grizzly bears in the province, drawing criticism from wildlife conservationists.
Hunting grizzly bears – which are a subspecies of the brown bear Ursus arctos – was first brought to a close in Alberta back in 2006 due to low numbers and four years later, the species was classified as threatened under the province’s Wildlife Act. The western population of grizzlies was also – and remains – listed as a group of “special concern” under Canada’s Species At Risk Act.
But on June 17, Alberta’s government amended the Wildlife Act to partially lift the ban, once again allowing the bears to be hunted in particular circumstances.
Under the new rules, grizzly bears may be hunted if a wildlife officer determines them to present an “imminent public safety risk, or the bear has killed livestock, damaged private property or made contact with a human resulting in injury or death.”
One of a pool of “wildlife management responders” will be selected to track the bear in such instances and as long as they are within a designated area and using allowed methods and equipment, they may be permitted to kill the bear.
“A hunt normally would allow the hunter to choose what, where and when they hunt,” the Minister for Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, told CBC. “But the … problem wildlife responder will not have any choice of what, where and when they hunt. They’ll be told exactly the details of all those.”
The government says its reasoning behind the change of tack is an uptick in “problematic” interactions between grizzlies and humans, and with other animals, as the bear population has increased. According to the authorities, there were nine recorded attacks by black or grizzly bears in Alberta in 2021, and over 100 livestock animals killed in 2023 and 2024.
“This is not a bear hunt; this is a measure to ensure the safety of humans and livestock,” reads the announcement from authorities.
“The loss of even one human life because of a grizzly bear attack is one too many,” added Loewen in the statement. “We are taking a proactive approach to help Albertans co-exist with wildlife through our new wildlife management program. These changes demonstrate our commitment to ensuring Albertans can safely work and recreate throughout the province.”
However, the decision hasn’t gone down well with conservation groups and grizzly experts.
“Hunting is not an acceptable management approach for a threatened species,” said Devon Earl, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, in a statement. “Grizzly bears have a very slow reproductive rate, and trophy hunting could undo all the recovery of the last decade.”
The ban’s reversal has also been criticized by Alberta’s Opposition Critic for Environment and Tourism and bear biologist Sarah Elmeligi.
“Killing grizzly bears does not reduce human-bear conflict. It does not solve the problem,” said Elmeligi in a statement.
The solution? According to the biologist and politician: “Work with people to better coexist with grizzly bears.”
“Human use management on the landscape like the livestock compensation program, subsidies for electric fencing, attractant management on public and private land, and better education, are the things that actually reduce conflict.”
“These programs should be amplified across the province to reduce conflict at its source.”
Source Link: Grizzly Bears Can Now Be Hunted In Alberta, Partly Reversing Near 20-Year Ban
