The Alberta provincial government says four grizzly bears have been killed since the introduction of its Wildlife Management Responder Network in June 2024. The program gives Albertans with a recreational hunting licence the ability to apply to be a responder. Responders can then be called on by wildlife enforcement officers to track or kill “problem” bears and other wildlife, leaving officers to handle other wildlife issues. “A responder will only be sent out as a last resort,” said the Department of Forestry and Parks in a statement sent to CTV News on Friday. “Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services will not allow the responders to remove aggressive or dangerous bears who have attacked a human or who have demonstrated predatory behaviour towards people.” Of the grizzlies killed since the program began, three of the deaths were this year and one was in 2025. All four of the incidents involved “conflict” with livestock. The most recent grizzly death was earlier this month in an area south of Pincher Creek, where a grizzly bear was “confirmed to have killed several cattle.” In May, a grizzly was killed south of the Twin Butte area following a “conflict with cattle.” In April, a grizzly was killed southwest of Pincher Creek after a “conflict with cattle.” Last year, in June, the province says a grizzly responsible for “multiple livestock deaths” was killed southwest of Grande Prairie. Parks Canada estimates there are 691 grizzly bears in Alberta, where they are currently designated as a threatened species. Parks Canada notes on its website that the biggest threats to the bears are habitat fragmentation and loss caused by an increasing human population, along with accidental human-caused mortality along transportation corridors (roads and rails).
