Will the Grizzly Bear Hunt Return to Alberta?
Canada’s most famous grizzly bear, ‘The Boss’, just went into hibernation high in the Alberta Rocky Mountains. In three months, at the start of April, he’ll awake and venture into the protected environs of Banff National Park, but grizzly bears elsewhere in Alberta may face an entirely different reality next spring.
For the first time in twelve years, grizzly bears in Alberta could once again be in the crosshairs of trophy hunters. While grizzly hunting has been banned in the province since 2006 and grizzlies were classified as Threatened in 2010, research from Dr. Gordon Stenhouse and the Forest Research Institute (FRI) set to be released this winter is expected to reveal an increase in Alberta’s grizzly bear population. EXPOSED is concerned that the Environment Minister has said the province intends to use this new data to manage grizzlies based on “science, not emotion.” And while we strongly agree that wildlife management should be based on a combination of science and social license, we are extremely concerned the current government will use any increase in bear populations to justify a re-introduction of the trophy grizzly hunt, rather than using it to determine the best management strategies going forward.
We believe these “top-of-the-food-chain” predators play an integral and profound role in our ecosystems and that their protection is critical to maintaining the biodiversity we are known for here in Canada; biodiversity that has been scientifically recognized as a key to our planet’s health.
EXPOSED Wildlife Conservancy (EWC) wants to produce a documentary presenting science-based research to raise awareness and inspire action about the potential re-opening of the Alberta trophy grizzly bear hunt. The goal of the video is to pressure the Alberta government into revamping the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, and ultimately, ban the grizzly hunt in the province permanently.
The documentary will feature interviews with a host of Alberta bear biologists and experts, examining current research and trends with Alberta’s grizzly bear populations and the status of the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan. Interviews will focus on how these experts believe grizzly bears should be managed in Alberta, including how human-bear conflicts should be mitigated and whether the science supports grizzly bear hunting.
The production and promotion of this 10-12 minute video is $25,000 and we already have nearly $5,000 through gift-in-kind services. BUT time is limited! We must get this video produced and promoted in the NEXT 6 weeks before the Legislature's spring session and before our grizzlies begin resurfacing.
Please support the development of this documentary today and ensure this video is seen and heard, so our current government doesn't 'backdoor' legislation that will ultimately hurt our grizzly bears.