Alberta Grizzlies Need Recovery, Not Fear-Based Management
Your voice is needed to help safeguard the grizzly bear’s future in Alberta. Tell the Alberta government to rescind its preposterous new wildlife regulation and take action for grizzly bear recovery.
PROTECT ALBERTA GRIZZLY BEARS
The majestic grizzly bear is an iconic symbol of the wild and a cherished part of Alberta's cultural identity. As an umbrella species, their protection benefits biodiversity and ecosystem conservation across the wide landscapes they roam. Working in partnership with EXPOSED Wildlife Conservancy, our goal is to ensure that grizzly bear management in Alberta continues to work toward recovery and coexistence.
THE ISSUE
Now more than ever, we need the Alberta government to fund and implement their Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan in its entirety and rescind their preposterous new wildlife regulation that will allow the legal killing of a threatened species.
Grizzly bears have been classified as a Threatened species in Alberta since 2010. With a population estimate below 1000 breeding individuals, the Alberta population falls well below the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s criteria for threatened status. The combined impacts of the habitat loss, food security, coexistence challenges, and the climate crisis continue to put enormous pressure on recovering grizzly bear populations.
Recent changes in regulations under the Wildlife Act create opportunities for the public to legally kill “problem” bears. These regulations are flawed, will not reduce the risk of human-bear conflict, and contravene the provincial Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan. We cannot recover a threatened species while simultaneously allowing it to be killed by ineffective fear-based regulations.
Of all the challenges grizzlies face on the road to recovery, hunting is the one source of human-caused mortality we can control. As part of the Recovery Plan we urge the provincial government to commit to a continued ban on grizzly bear hunting in Alberta.
TAKE ACTION
Through advocacy and storytelling, we are raising public awareness on the status of grizzlies in Alberta and urging the provincial government to implement their Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, rescind their new wildlife regulation that creates opportunities for the public to legally kill grizzly bears, and commit to a continued ban on grizzly bear hunting in the province. Please join us as we work to recover Alberta's grizzlies, together.
Take action by writing a letter to the Alberta Premier and Minister of Forestry and Parks using this simple form letter/email, donate to our efforts, or share our social media content with your friends and family.
LEARN MORE
"Common Ground" GrizzCast Podcast
In a new GrizzCast podcast episode, "Common Ground", we chat with Julius Strauss, a former war correspondent, wilderness guide and activist. Together, we explore a world where grizzly bears are no longer hunted for their hide, paws, teeth or head.
"In the Crosshairs" Documentary Film
This short documentary by EXPOSED Wildlife Conservancy tells the story of the past, present, and future of grizzly bear recovery in Alberta, Join us to learn how you can take action, as we explore trophy hunting, habitat loss and coexistence issues, together.
QUICK FACTS
Centuries of habitat loss and persecution by European settlers led to the dramatic decline in the size and distribution of grizzly bear populations across North America. Grizzly bears once roamed widely across Alberta and eastward through the plains of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Today, grizzly bears have primarily been extirpated from the prairies, and in Alberta are found solely in the Rocky Mountain and Foothills regions at the province’s western fringe. With the release of new research in 2021, Alberta now has science-based population estimates for all 7 of the province’s bear management units. The data shows that Alberta’s grizzly bear population has increased from approximately 700 in 2010 to somewhere between 856 and 973 bears today.
This success has resulted from decades of conservation efforts, most notably the government’s decision to end the licensed grizzly bear hunt in 2006. But the road to recovery is far from over, and the provincial government has instated a new regulation that threatens this recovering population. Grizzly bears are iconic symbols of the wild. They represent an important part of the cultural identity of Albertans. As a conservation umbrella species, their protection is critical to maintaining the biodiversity of our ecosystems across the wide landscapes they roam.
1
Grizzly bears were classified as a Threatened Species under Alberta's Wildlife Act in 2010.
2
In 2012, the western population (including Alberta’s grizzlies) was federally designated as a Species of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
3
The grizzly bear hunt ended in Alberta in 2006.
4
The latest research estimates that there are somewhere between 856 and 973 bears in Alberta.
5
Grizzly bears in Alberta are divided into 7 Bear Management Areas (BMAs).
6
In Alberta, most known grizzly bear mortalities are caused by humans. The primary sources of human caused mortality in Alberta are poaching, vehicle collisions, self-defence kills, and black bear hunters misidentifying bears.
7
From 2009-2018, a total of 227 grizzly bear mortalities were recorded. That’s about 23 deaths per year. Of those 227, 208 (92%) are known to be human caused.
8
In 2018, there were 23 recorded grizzly bear mortalities. At least 20 of those deaths were attributable to human causes.
9
The first draft of a 5 year Recovery Plan was completed in 2008, and was accepted by the Minister for implementation. In 2010, an updated status assessment was completed, ultimately resulting in the formal designation of ‘Threatened’ for the species. Alberta’s Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan was updated in 2016, and again in 2020. A later revision to the Recovery Plan (dated July 1, 2020) was released in early 2021 but remains substantially the same as the 2016 draft.
10
National Status: In 2018 the western population of grizzly bears was designated as a species of Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.