The question of cougar hunting in Alberta once again reared its way into the spotlight.
After a female cougar with two kittens was killed by hunters near Gap Lake on Feb. 10, it raised questions on existing policy that allows a certain amount of the big cats to be killed each year.
After a few days, the two kittens were found and placed in a temporary home at the Calgary Zoo, where they’ll be out-of-sight to the public and cared for by the Animal Health Centre.
The kittens, which are figured to be less than six months old, were entirely dependent on their mother, meaning had they not been found, their fate was likely sealed in the coming weeks.
Though the killing of this cougar was legal, it raises ethical questions and the necessity of hunting cougars.
Under existing regulations, a young cougar with spotted fur or a female cougar with a young cougar with spotted fur is illegal to hunt.
Alberta Forestry Minister Todd Loewen allowed the hunting quota to be expanded last year. However, conservationists have raised the lack of science-based information and lack of public engagement in coming to that decision.
It also raises questions on the integrity of a hunter when they rely on GPS-tracked off-leash dogs, cameras and the ability of hunters to quickly track the wildlife using iPads. Bounties for cougars are also paid out, further incentivizing the hunting of the big cats.
From April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024 – the most up-to-date numbers – there were 103 cougars hunted in the province, with 26 being female. However, many conservationists have argued additional public education rather than hunting is vital.
The threat of cougars against humans is minimal. In the last 100 years, seven cougar-related deaths have been reported in Canada. One of those was Frances Frost in 2001 when she was cross-country skiing near Lake Minnewanka.
There are frequent warnings in multiple provincial parks in Kananaskis Country and sometimes in Banff National Park.
As more visitors come to the region and development expands, the likelihood of encounters has the potential to increase.
To say the current provincial government has a poor track record when it comes to wildlife management would be a massive understatement.
In the summer, it quietly allowed the targeted hunting of what it called problem grizzly bears, despite their status as a threatened species.
The provincial government will allow up to 15 to be killed each year under its new management tactic, which has drawn intense criticism.
In late 2024, the limits on trapping and harvesting wolverines were removed to collect more data on a more precise number of the species in the province, according to Loewen.
A recent population estimate for wolverines in Alberta from 2003 had less than 1,000 breeding ones remaining.
Similar restrictions were loosened on lynx, river otters and fishers – though not as wide open as wolverines – with all of them previously protected on Crown land.
The lesson seems to be if you kill a lot of something, there’s less to count and worry about.
While there was little to no public engagement, particularly with conservation groups who would likely bend over backward to help, the existing science was completely ignored.
Countless studies on different species have warned of the dangers of increasing trapping and hunting, especially as species are less likely to maintain existing populations as regulations give hunters open season.
The existing war on wildlife by the province may allow a few more hunters to be able to mount a new animal on their wall, but its long-term sustainability will drastically impact the role each species has in its regional ecosystem.
Any decision that determines the life or death of a wildlife species needs to involve significant public engagement and the best use of available science-based evidence.
The management of wildlife shouldn’t be done through the barrel of a gun.
