Grizzly Bears Killed in Alberta: At Least 14 This Year, and Few Answers
At least 14 grizzlies have been killed under Alberta's responder network, up from one last year. The Alberta Wilderness Association wants to know why.
Grizzly bears killed in Alberta under the province's Wildlife Management Responder Network have reached at least 14, according to the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) in a statement dated 21 September. The reported count for all of 2025 was one.
The network lets hunters kill animals classed as "problem" bears. The tally stood at four in June, so at least ten more have followed since.
The Province Said Lives and Livelihoods
When the network was announced in July 2024, it was promoted as a way to "protect Albertans' lives and livelihoods". The province also estimated more than 1,150 bears in Alberta, though AWA says no current population count exists.
Ruiping Luo is a conservation specialist at AWA, which makes her one of the people asking the province to show its working. "We don't know why these bears were considered problem animals," she says.
AWA Asked for Reasons and Got a Partial Release
AWA filed an access to information request in January and received a partial release in April. It did not say how problem bears were identified, what hunters were told, or whether anything else was tried first.
AWA has asked for a review of that release, which is not expected until April 2027. In 2024, the forestry and parks minister, Todd Loewen, told AWA that responders would act in line with existing wildlife policy.
The Province Says 11. AWA Says Check 2024
The province says an average of 11 bears a year were removed from 2021 to 2025. AWA says 2024, with 21 agency removals, inflated that figure.
In the other years, the average was eight or nine, still up from about four a year before 2022. AWA also says the province's only human-wildlife conflict specialist retired in 2022 and the job has not been filled.
The Recovery Plan Prefers Fewer Rifles
The Alberta Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan points to removing attractants and aversive conditioning, with euthanasia as a last resort. AWA says studies show those methods, along with education, reduce conflict.
What This Means in the Bow Valley
The statement does not say where the bears were killed, so we cannot tell you whether any were near Banff or Canmore. Attractants are the one part of the problem a visitor controls, and food, rubbish, and a tidy campsite cost nothing.
Fourteen bears, one partial release, and a review that reports back in April 2027.
