The Alberta government has seen a significant increase in the number of grizzly bears hunted by authorized hunters in recent months. Within the Alberta Wildlife Management Responder Network, 13 grizzly bears have been hunted this year, with 11 of them killed in the last three-and-a-half months mainly due to livestock predation. Since the program’s establishment in June 2024, a total of 14 grizzly bears have been hunted by authorized hunters, with only one killed in 2025.
The province’s group of “problem wildlife” responders comprises qualified Albertan hunters selected for the program. These hunters are called upon when the province determines that hunting a grizzly bear is necessary. According to a statement from the provincial ministry, the management of wildlife is based on scientific guidance and expert advice, focusing on public safety, conflict reduction, and grizzly bear population recovery.
Grizzly bears were classified as a threatened species by the Alberta government in 2010. The Ministry of Forestry and Parks mentioned that the management of grizzly bears follows provincial guidelines, considering factors like attacks on livestock, pets, or humans in response to incidents. An average of 11 grizzly bears were lethally removed annually from 2021 to 2025.
Although grizzly hunting has been prohibited in Alberta since 2006, except for Indigenous hunting for subsistence or cultural purposes, the removal of grizzly bears through the Wildlife Management Responder Network is not considered hunting. The province clarified that authorizations are granted on a case-by-case basis, not through tags, allowing the responder to retain the bear’s meat and hide, excluding its gallbladder.
Despite the rise in grizzly bear hunts through the wildlife responder program, the province stated that the overall human-caused bear mortality in 2026 is lower than usual. The province emphasized that human-caused mortality has not exceeded 3.5% of the estimated population since 2010, and the lethally removed bears in 2026 do not hinder recovery objectives.
The majority of grizzly bear hunts in the program occurred in southwestern Alberta, an area with the highest grizzly bear population density in the province. Wildlife biologist Andrea Morehouse indicated the area’s high grizzly population shares an international population extending into southeastern British Columbia and Montana, with rural communities bearing the cost of coexisting with grizzly bears.
Efficient wildlife coexistence measures are essential in areas where grizzly bear ranges overlap with populated regions like ranches and livestock operations. Jeff Bectell, co-ordinator of the Waterton Biosphere Region’s Carnivores and Communities Program, highlighted the need for various solutions, including coexistence programs, population monitoring, and necessary lethal removals.
The provincial government announced a $700,000 investment over five years in 2024 to help prevent large carnivores from rural properties in southwestern Alberta, including setting up electric fencing, upgrading grain bins, and removing dead stock. The current grizzly bear population in Alberta is estimated at around 1,000, with no recent provincial population study since 2018.
