Grizzly death toll drops in 2014
Recovery strategy aimed at reducing conflicts between bears and people
At least 19 grizzly bears were killed by poachers, landowners and motorists across Alberta in 2014 — down from a high of 31 a year earlier and below the five- year average of 21 deaths.
The numbers, released Tuesday by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, are compiled annually as part of the province’s grizzly bear recovery strategy.
“Grizzly bears are doing better,” said Paul Frame, the province’s carnivore specialist.
“The education efforts that have been done here in Alberta over the last eight to 10 years since we stopped the hunt, I think we’ve been seeing some positive results in the population.”
Grizzlies were listed as threatened after it was determined there were only about 700 left in the province — a population count that’s currently being updated.
The low numbers led to the suspension of the hunt in 2006 and a recovery strategy aimed ‘ at reducing conflicts between bears and people, improving knowledge about the animals and decreasing human- caused mortality.
Frame said the eight accidental deaths were the primary cause of death for grizzly bears in 2014.
“The road kills are high,” he said, noting there were six bears killed by motorists and two other accidental deaths. “It’s the highest year in the last 11.”
Three of the roadkills were deaths on the Trans- Canada Highway, including a large male grizzly bear hit at Scott Lake Hill and two cubs struck at Dead Man’s Flats after a wildlife fence was left open.
At least one grizzly bear was also killed on Highway 93 North in Banff National Park, which isn’t included in the provincial statistics.
Another four grizzly bears were illegally killed in Alberta — down from 11 poaching incidents in 2013. It is, however, a situation that could lead to fines up to $ 100,000 if charges are laid by the province.
Other causes included three grizzly bears killed in self- defence; three bears euthanized by the province, including two cubs that were orphaned after their mom got into some poison; and, one taken in an aboriginal subsistence harvest.
The other two accidental deaths were: The mother of the two cubs euthanized by the province and a bear that got caught in a trap.
Katie Morrison, conservation director with the southern Alberta chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, said it’s a concern that so many bears were killed by motorists.
“People need to remember when they are out on the highways to slow down and watch for wildlife and be aware of their surroundings,” she said.
But she added that it’s good the record numbers from 2013 haven’t become a trend.
“We’re hoping that the new recovery plan addresses some of these other issues and that we continue to see decreases in humancaused mortalities,” said Morrison.
The province is in the midst of updating it’s grizzly bear recovery strategy.
Frame agreed Alberta still needs to reduce the number of humancaused grizzly bear deaths.
“Raising awareness, education, attractant management, conflict reduction — those still seem to be the big issues we need to focus on,” he said.
“Then we can identify in the recovery plan the highway crossings and analyzing roadkill data and trying to come up with a strategy to reduce that as one of the top needs identified in the new recovery plan.”
The draft of the new recovery plan is expected in the next four to six weeks, although it could be delayed by Tuesday’s election call.
Some ranchers in southern Alberta have been calling for a targeted hunt to get rid of problem bears in that area, but Frame said it’s still too soon to consider bringing it back.
“As a tool, it could be useful,” he said, “but we’ll see how things develop over the next little while — being several years.
“We’re still a ways off from proposing a change in status.”