{"id":390043,"date":"2026-04-09T15:27:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/390043\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T15:27:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:27:15","slug":"reopen-grizzly-bear-hunt-policy-reform-to-curb-encounters-urged-by-rural-municipalities-of-alberta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/390043\/","title":{"rendered":"Reopen grizzly bear hunt, policy reform to curb encounters urged by Rural Municipalities of Alberta"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2006, Alberta ended sport grizzly bear<\/a> hunting, but as rural encounters seem to be on the rise, some communities are asking the government to review the practice.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe hunt really is just an idea to come up with something to maintain the population of the bears so they remain healthy and vibrant, but also not coming into our population, causing problems for us,\u201d said Murray Millward, CAO for Cardston County.<\/p>\n

While many encounters are peaceful, he says, there is concern in Cardston County and neighbouring municipalities that the next could be dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201c(We\u2019ve had a) couple complaints from residents about bears coming into yards, afraid to put their kids out now because they\u2019re just not sure. If they\u2019re going for a walk, now they don\u2019t walk in their area, they come into town to do the walking path.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In an effort to keep bears out of areas inhabited by humans, Cardston County tabled a motion to the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), which was adopted by the organization, to have the government consider a grizzly bear hunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to have a realistic conversation about updating the data we\u2019re using and look at how we\u2019re going to manage human-bear interaction and conflict in the future,\u201d said Kara Westerlund, president of the RMA.<\/p>\n

While it may sound like a call for sport hunting, the Westerlund said it most certainly isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsking for potentially more tags for grizzly bear hunting is only one piece of what this resolution is asking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Realistically, they say they are hoping to increase education, awareness and start a conversation on the risks becoming evident in some parts of the province.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe ultimate goal is to reduce that interaction between human and bear and ensure the safety of the humans,\u201d said Millward.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:00
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2018All options on the table\u2019 to manage Alberta\u2019s grizzly population\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) says they are in favour of education and similar methods to ensure safety for all involved.<\/p>\n

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\u201cReducing attractants is a big one, so locking up grain stores, making sure livestock are in fenced areas as much as possible, things like removing berry bushes from around residential areas,\u201d said Ruiping Luo, a conservation specialist with the AWA.<\/p>\n

However, as the RMA is still partially lobbying for a grizzly bear hunt in some capacity, the AWA says they cannot support it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t support a hunt because the grizzlies are still a threatened species. They\u2019ve shown some signs of recovery recently, but we don\u2019t know how much their populations have recovered.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to data from the Government of Alberta in 2021, the grizzly bear population in the province is estimated to be between 865 and 973.<\/p>\n

This is up from between 700 and 800 in 2010, when they were listed as threatened.<\/p>\n

The RMA says a partial grizzly hunt has already happened in recent years and once the success of that is known, more steps can be taken one way or another.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2024, there were a number of tags released from the province and those were targeting problem bears. So, there is an active move on this already,\u201d said Westerlund.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlberta ministerial order sparks concern over grizzly bear population management\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

In a statement to Global News, Alberta\u2019s Department of Forestry and Parks says the government is focused on protecting the public and wildlife by managing grizzly bear populations responsibly.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSince the 2006 hunting moratorium and the 2020 recovery plan, most areas have seen population increases, making public awareness, education, conflict prevention, and the responder program increasingly important. Our approach is guided by science and expert advice, with a focus on maintaining public safety, reducing conflicts, and maintaining sustainable grizzly bear populations,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Hunting and Fishing Branch managers, Conservation Officers, Park Rangers, and Fish and Wildlife Officers will continue to work closely with Albertans to help achieve these objectives in bear habitats and landscapes. Alberta\u2019s government will continue to assess and evaluate all available scientific data, expert advice, and concerns raised by communities affected by an increasing grizzly bear population, and will ensure decisions remain informed, balanced, and responsive to evolving conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, the RMA says their lobbying is in the early stages and safety remains a priority.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2006, Alberta ended sport grizzly bear hunting, but as rural encounters seem to be on the rise,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[173011,246,48148,173010,61,60,173012,82,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-390043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-alberta-hunting","9":"tag-environment","10":"tag-grizzly-bear","11":"tag-grizzly-bear-hunt","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-rural-municipalities-of-alberta","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}