Grande Prairie officials investigate cub’s death
Grande Prairie Fish and Wildlife are asking for the public’s help after a young grizzly cub was shot dead over the weekend.
Officers received a call to the Report A Poacher line around 12:40 p.m. Saturday. A one-yearold female grizzly was found under a barricade near kilometre 42.5 of the area’s Weyerhaeuser main haul road, on a branch road.
Investigators found the bear had been killed by a single gunshot. They believe she had been shot at the location just a few hours earlier.
Grizzly bears are designated as “threatened” under provincial legislation; it is always prohibited to hunt them.
“It is unlawful to hunt grizzly bears in Alberta. There is no legal way to hunt a grizzly bear. There is no hunting season for them,” said Brendan Cox, a spokesperson for Alberta Fish and Wildlife.
“So anytime that a grizzly bear is killed, our Fish and Wildlife officers have to investigate and figure out what really happened.”
The department is trying to get a more “comprehensive picture” Cox said — it is not certain that the case is one of poaching. The officers reportedly conducted compliance checks with hunters in the region to canvas users about the case.
Under the Wildlife Act, Cox said the “No. 1 charge” would be hunting during closed season.
“Well, because it’s a species of special concern, they are threatened; the penalties under the Wildlife Act would double. So the maximum allowable penalty by the legislation would be $100,000 in fines or a year in jail,” Cox said. “But, ultimately, it’s up to the courts to decide.”