Alberta grizzly bear poaching surges as four bears killed in three months

Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services is investigating the illegal killings of four grizzly bears across three separate locations in recent weeks — the latest in a spike of poaching that has sparked concern among wildlife researchers.

One grizzly was shot dead Sept. 30 along a road approximately 20 kilometres north of Swan Hills, northwest of Edmonton. A second was found dead Oct. 1 in a remote area between Little Smoky and Fox Creek; all four of its paws had been removed. Two more were shot in June along a road near Sundre, approximately 95 kilometres northwest of Calgary. Hunting grizzlies has been banned in Alberta since 2006, except for harvesting by Indigenous hunters for subsistence or cultural purposes.

Gordon Stenhouse, a biologist who has led much of Alberta's grizzly bear population research, said the removals point to a much larger problem. "To shoot and leave any animal, and especially a grizzly bear, a threatened species, shows a disregard and disrespect for wildlife," Stenhouse said. He added that "people have been doing that for a long time," and that the number of bears found after being poached is "probably only a fraction of what's actually happening."

From 2020 to 2025, Alberta documented 28 illegal killings of grizzly bears — representing approximately 17 per cent of grizzly bear deaths during that span. Other leading causes of mortality include killings authorized by the province and vehicle strikes. Grizzly bears have been designated a threatened species in Alberta since 2010.

Mark Boyce, a University of Alberta ecology professor, does not consider poaching "a major issue" for grizzly bear conservation — a view that contrasts with Stenhouse's assessment of the scale of unreported killings.

The province is asking the public to contact the Report-A-Poacher line or submit a report online at alberta.ca/report-poacher. Tipsters providing information that leads to charges are eligible for cash rewards. The province statement did not address whether these four recent cases are connected or part of a broader pattern, nor did it provide suspect information or a timeline for investigation completion.