Alberta’s Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services are reaching out to the public for help following the discovery of a deceased grizzly bear with a gunshot wound last autumn. The incident was brought to light by a hunter on November 25 near Honey Coulee, an area open to the public located approximately 110 kilometers south of Calgary. Authorities determined that the grizzly bear had been shot sometime earlier, potentially between November 8 and 20.
Since 2006, the hunting of grizzly bears in Alberta has been prohibited, as they are classified as a threatened species by the provincial government. A spokesperson from Fish and Wildlife emphasized the detrimental impact of poaching and other illegal hunting activities on Alberta’s ecosystems and law-abiding hunters. Such activities undermine conservation efforts, endanger wildlife population management, and may result in more stringent regulations that affect lawful hunters.
Through the Report A Poacher program in the province, individuals providing information leading to charges against offenders may be eligible for a monetary reward. Retired Alberta Fish and Wildlife officer John Clarke highlighted the significance of incidents involving illegally shot grizzly bears due to their low reproductive rates and vulnerable status. Clarke mentioned past cases where grizzly bears had been unlawfully targeted, noting the challenges in identifying the exact location of the shooting, especially if the bear was wounded and moved before succumbing.
The investigation by Fish and Wildlife likely involves scouring the area for evidence such as tire tracks or footprints, interviewing locals, and identifying hunters with licenses for black bear hunting in the vicinity. A photo of the deceased bear shared by Alberta Fish and Wildlife confirmed the animal as a grizzly bear, suggesting a case of mistaken identity was unlikely despite the black bear hunting season overlapping with the incident. Over the period from 2013 to 2022, the primary cause of grizzly bear mortality in Alberta was vehicle collisions, with documented cases of illegal killing and mistaken identity incidents involving black bears.