In Alberta, 2024 marked a record year for human-caused grizzly bear deaths, with more bears killed by people than in any previous year. The provincial government’s data on grizzly bear mortality rates, available from 2005 to 2025, revealed that a total of 40 known grizzly deaths occurred in 2024. These deaths were attributed to various causes such as poaching, vehicle collisions, and lethal removal by law enforcement.
Of the 40 reported deaths, 21 grizzlies were killed through “agency removals,” indicating that they were taken out by Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services, conservation officers, or other law enforcement officials. This figure represents the highest number of agency removals in a single year and the only year where more than half of the total grizzly bear deaths were due to agency actions. Prior to 2024, the highest known human-caused grizzly bear death toll was 29 in 2016, primarily due to vehicle strikes.
Retired Fish and Wildlife officer John Clarke pointed to the province’s updated grizzly bear response guide in 2023 as a potential factor in the spike of deaths in 2024. The new guidelines classify bears based on various factors like age, cub presence, and problematic behaviors related to human interaction or livestock predation. Clarke expressed concerns that the updated rules had placed male grizzlies at higher risk, leading to what he described as a “hit list” on male bears. Notably, 14 out of the 21 grizzlies killed by law enforcement in 2024 were male.
Under the revised response framework, male grizzlies can be euthanized upon the first report of habituation or food-conditioning if they are outside designated recovery areas specified in the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan. The guidelines also allow for relocation of a bear with cubs upon the first incident, but subsequent incidents may result in lethal action. Clarke emphasized the importance of prioritizing female bears due to their role as breeders and the species’ low reproductive rates.
Grizzly bears have been classified as a threatened species in Alberta since 2010. The province emphasizes that officers must justify any bear killings under the new rules, with a preference for non-lethal preventative actions before resorting to capture or euthanasia. The Ministry of Forestry and Parks highlighted the complexity of human-grizzly conflicts, attributing the rise in mortalities in 2024 to localized factors rather than a single overarching cause.
In 2025, the total grizzly bear deaths decreased to 18, with six of those attributed to agency removals. The province attributed fluctuations in human-grizzly conflicts to factors such as local bear populations, food availability, environmental conditions, and human attractants like livestock and garbage.
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta have called for the reinstatement of grizzly bear hunting to address conflicts with humans and livestock. Grizzly bear sport hunting was banned in 2006, with the last recorded hunting season in 2005 resulting in 10 grizzly deaths out of a total of 23 human-caused mortalities that year. The Alberta government estimates the current grizzly bear population in the province to be around 1,000, although there has not been an official population count since 2018.