Alberta continues moratorium on annual grizzly bear hunt

The Government of Alberta announced the results of an independent study that tracked Alberta's grizzly bear population. The study has found there are about 581 bears living in the province outside of national parks.

The Government of Alberta initiated the independent study of the Grizzly population in 2004. The study tracked the Grizzly population outside of Alberta's national parks and used DNA to identify individuals. The study reported that only 581 bears were found outside of national parks, which prompted a decision to continue a suspension of the annual Grizzly hunt, although a final decision on resuming the hunt is still pending. This year's decision to continue the suspension has angered hunters and ranchers, who say the bears have become bold and dangerous. Environmentalists, on the other hand, are happy that the hunt has been deferred once again, yet are not happy that a permanent ban has not been enacted. Commenting on the study's findings, Defenders of Wildlife spokesperson Jim Pissot said

"There's no question that bears are worse off now than 20 years ago -- both in numbers and range."

The hunt was originally suspended in 2006 over concerns of the seeming decline of the species, drawing the ire of hunters. The Grizzly was identified by the Sustainable Resources department in 2000 and 2005 as being as species that "might be at risk." A final decision on the Grizzly hunt was anticipated to be made late this year, but the Albertan agency has recently notified the public that a decision will be made sometime next year, after the Grizzly population study has gone through a peer review. One Calgary-area rancher who raises miniature donkeys suffered from attacks by a Grizzly bear this past August. Owner Deborah Killam told press that she had sustained about $50,000 in losses to the marauding bear in just one weekend. Wildlife officials, however, say that at this time of year it is normal for there to be more unwelcome encounters with the species, as the Grizzlies are preparing for winter and foraging for food wherever they can. Sierra Club Canada says that the Grizzly's habitat is so disrupted by human activity that the bears are gone from the Prairies "for good." The Grizzly hunt continues in British Columbia, in spite of the fears that the recent collapse of the Sockeye salmon fishery, along with declines in the Chum salmon population, have had a negative impact on the Grizzlies in that province. Conservationists claim that there has been a large "die-off" of Grizzlies in B.C. this fall. While research on the topic is scanty, no-one really knows the importance of top-level predators for an ecosystem. Grizzly bears are facing increased pressure from human expansion into their natural habitat, and also because of their size and capability to cause harm, fear has ensured that the bears are hunted.