Provincial authorities are currently looking into multiple incidents where poachers have unlawfully killed grizzly bears in Alberta. Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services is conducting an investigation into the illegal shooting of four grizzly bears at three different locations.
On September 30, one grizzly bear was discovered shot dead along a road approximately 20 kilometers north of Swan Hills, northwest of Edmonton. The following day, on October 1, another grizzly bear was found deceased in a remote area between Little Smoky and Fox Creek with all four paws missing.
These incidents follow the discovery of two grizzly bears shot dead in June near Sundre, about 95 kilometers northwest of Calgary. In March of this year, public assistance was sought in a poaching investigation after a grizzly bear was found dead from a gunshot wound in November 2025.
Hunting grizzly bears has been prohibited in Alberta since 2006, except for Indigenous hunters engaging in subsistence or cultural practices. To report any information on these poaching cases or other suspected wildlife violations, individuals are urged to contact the Report-A-Poacher line or submit a report online at alberta.ca/report-poacher. Informants providing details leading to charges could qualify for a cash reward through the Report-A-Poacher program.
Gordon Stenhouse, a prominent biologist involved in grizzly bear population research in Alberta, expressed disappointment at the trend of shooting and abandoning grizzly bear carcasses, emphasizing the disrespect it shows for wildlife. He noted that the actual number of poached bears found is likely only a fraction of the total incidents occurring.
The Alberta government has documented 28 cases of illegally killed grizzly bears from 2020 to 2025, constituting around 17% of grizzly bear deaths during that period. Other leading causes of grizzly bear mortality include being killed by the province and vehicle collisions. Grizzly bears have been classified as a threatened species in Alberta since 2010.
Mark Boyce, an ecology professor at the University of Alberta, acknowledged the existence of a black market for grizzly bear parts and emphasized the importance of addressing the root causes of poaching. Kim Titchener, founder of Bear Safety and More, highlighted the need for better coexistence between humans and bears, advocating for non-lethal measures like electric fencing and bear-resistant containers.
The Alberta government has committed funds to mitigate human-carnivore conflicts in southwestern Alberta and supports BearSmart programs across the province to reduce human-wildlife clashes and minimize grizzly bear deaths. The estimated grizzly bear population in Alberta is around 1,000, although there hasn’t been a provincial grizzly bear population study since 2018.