'Disrespect for wildlife': Multiple grizzly bear poaching incidents under investigation in Alberta
Body of bear found abandoned with paws removed in northern Alberta
WARNING:
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This story contains graphic images of grizzly bears killed by poachers.
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Provincial officials are investigating multiple cases of poachers killing grizzly bears in Alberta.
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poachers → investigate → Alberta
The province told CBC News that Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services is investigating the illegal killings of four grizzly bears at three separate locations.
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One grizzly bear was found shot dead Sept. 30, along a road about 20 kilometres north of Swan Hills, northwest of Edmonton.
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The next day on Oct. 1, another grizzly was found dead in a remote area between Little Smoky and Fox Creek.
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All four of the bear's paws had been removed.
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four → remove → paws
It comes after two grizzly bears were found shot dead in June along a road near Sundre, about 95 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
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And in March of this year, the province announced it was seeking public assistance in a poaching investigation after a grizzly bear was found dead from a gunshot wound in November 2025.
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"The illegal killing of any grizzly bear is taken seriously," the province told CBC News in a statement.
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This grizzly bear was found dead off Deep Valley Road between Little Smoky and Fox Creek in northern Alberta on Oct. 1.
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bear → find → Oct.
The bear had been shot and moved off the main trail, and all four of its paws had been removed.
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four → shoot → paws
Hunting grizzlies has been banned in Alberta since 2006, with the exception of harvesting by Indigenous hunters for subsistence or cultural purposes.
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The province is asking that anyone with information about these poaching incidents or other suspected wildlife offences contact the Report-A-Poacher line or submit a report online at alberta.ca/report-poacher.
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anyone → ask → alberta.ca/report-poacher
Through the province's Report-A-Poacher program, a tipster who provides information leading to charges being laid could be eligible for a cash reward.
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who → provide → reward
'Disregard and disrespect for wildlife'
Gordon Stenhouse, the biologist behind much of Alberta's grizzly bear population research, said shooting grizzly bears and abandoning their bodies is "disappointing" but doesn't surprise him, as "people have been doing that for a long time."
"To shoot and leave any animal, and especially a grizzly bear, a threatened species, shows a disregard and disrespect for wildlife," he said.
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This grizzly bear was found shot dead on Sept. 30, about 20 kilometres north of Swan Hills in northern Alberta.
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bear → find → Alberta
Stenhouse said it's likely the number of bears found after being poached is "probably only a fraction of what's actually happening."
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what → say → bears
"I think there's lots of bears that are never found," he said.
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- More grizzly bears killed in 2024 than any other year on record in Alberta
- Grizzly bear killings have spiked through provincial program; government says recovery still priority
The Alberta government keeps track of human-caused grizzly bear mortality.
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government → kill → mortality
Other leading causes of grizzly bear mortality include being killed by the province and struck by vehicles.
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causes → lead → vehicles
University of Alberta ecology professor Mark Boyce said he doesn't consider poaching "a major issue" when it comes to grizzly bear conservation, but he considers these latest incidents "really unfortunate.
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incidents → say → conservation
"
"There's a black market for grizzly bear paws," he said.
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he → be → paws
"It's highly illegal, but poaching the bear was highly illegal in the first place."
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poaching → poach → place
In addition to financial motivation, Boyce said poaching can happen because people hate or fear grizzly bears.
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people → say → bears
Better co-existence needed:
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bear safety expert
Bear Safety and More founder Kim Titchener says she considers poaching a symptom of a larger conflict between humans and bears struggling to share the landscape.
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poaching → say → landscape
"We do live with grizzly bears in Alberta," Titchener said.
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"When they come into communities, walk onto a golf course, go onto a rancher's land ... we start to see conflicts with these animals."
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"For some people, it creates a lot of fear and they want to get rid of bears.
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For other people, they want to try to live with these animals."
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- Grizzly bear trapped, killed after trying to break into central Alberta chicken coop
- Honey-hunting grizzlies are 'one of the realities' for beekeepers in Bearberry, Alta.
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grizzlies → trap → Bearberry
Titchener says communities in and around bear country should prioritize resources such as electric fencing, guard dogs and bear-resistant containers over killing grizzly bears.
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communities → say → bears
"You can go and shoot and kill that bear that is killing your chickens, but another bear is just going to show up and eat your chickens too," she said.
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"So you really need to address the cause of this."
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- Conservation groups call for 'science-based' approach to Alberta grizzly bear hunt proposal
- 'No plans right now' for grizzly hunting season in Alberta, minister says as rural residents call for hunt
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residents → call → hunt
The Alberta government announced in 2024 it would invest $700,000 over five years to help keep large carnivores away from rural properties in southwestern Alberta, including setting up electric fencing, upgrading grain bins and removing dead livestock.
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it → announce → livestock
The province supports BearSmart programs across Alberta in an effort to minimize the risk of human-wildlife conflict and reduce grizzly bear deaths.
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province → support → deaths
The province estimates there are about 1,000 grizzlies in Alberta today, though there hasn't been a provincial grizzly bear population study since 2018.
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province → estimate → 2018
The Aporia
