The Alberta government has reported a significant increase in the number of grizzly bears killed by hunters authorized through the Wildlife Management Responder Network. Thirteen grizzly bears have been killed this year, with eleven of them being taken down within the last three-and-a-half months, primarily due to livestock predation. Since its establishment in June 2024, the program has resulted in the killing of 14 grizzly bears by hunters, with only one bear killed in 2025.

The province’s “problem wildlife” responders, consisting of qualified Alberta hunters selected for the program, are called upon to kill grizzly bears when deemed necessary by the province. The Ministry of Forestry and Parks stated that their wildlife management approach is science-driven, aiming to ensure public safety, reduce conflicts, and support grizzly bear population recovery.

Grizzly bears, designated as a threatened species in 2010, are managed under provincial guidelines, considering factors like livestock, pet, or human attacks when responding to incidents. Despite the ban on grizzly hunting in Alberta since 2006, exceptions exist for Indigenous hunters for subsistence or cultural purposes. The province clarified that the Wildlife Management Responder Network’s grizzly removal is not considered hunting, as authorizations are case-specific and not tag-based.

While the number of grizzly bear killings by the wildlife responder program has risen, the overall human-caused bear mortality in 2026 is lower than usual. The province highlighted that human-caused mortality has not exceeded 3.5% of the estimated population since 2010, and the current lethal removals do not impede recovery objectives.

The majority of grizzly bear killings through the program occurred in southwestern Alberta, an area with a high grizzly bear population density. Effective wildlife coexistence measures are essential in areas where grizzly bear ranges overlap with human settlements, requiring a combination of coexistence programs, conflict mitigation strategies, population monitoring, and, when necessary, lethal removals.

To address these challenges, the provincial government announced a $700,000 investment over five years in 2024 to support initiatives preventing conflicts between large carnivores and rural properties in southwestern Alberta. Although an estimated 1,000 grizzlies inhabit Alberta currently, there has not been a provincial grizzly bear population study since 2018.