Alberta grizzly bear shot by hunter in B.C.

Conservationists are mourning the death of a female grizzly bear that had been moved from a popular area west of Calgary this summer to a remote park in northwest Alberta.

Stephen Legault of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative said Bear 148 was shot by a hunter on Sunday after wandering into British Columbia from its new home.

Legault said the bear was just becoming old enough to have cubs.

“What is really sad is that we have lost the potential that this grizzly bear represented for the further recovery of the threatened species in Alberta,” he said Wednesday.

He noted that grizzly bears are often killed after being struck on highways and by trains.

“The fact this bear was killed by a hunter illustrates the fact that there are many threats to these animals.”

The B.C. government plans to ban the killing of grizzly bears for trophy, but not until after this hunting season.

Parks Canada and the Alberta government later confirmed the death of Bear 148.

“This outcome underlines the need for more collaboration across jurisdictions to co-ordinate wildlife and people management at a landscape level,” Parks Canada said in an email.

Bear 148 was moved in July from its range near Banff and Canmore, to Kakwa Wildland Park.