Hunters can now kill cougars in a provincial park in Alberta. 

The move to allow a cougar hunt in Cypress Hills Provincial Park, along the border with Saskatchewan, is part of a trend in Alberta to open more land and more species to hunting, under the direction of Alberta Parks and Forestry Minister Todd Loewen — who is a hunter and whose family owns a hunting business. 

The provincial government started a program earlier this year to allow private citizens to shoot what it deems “problem” grizzly bears. It also removed trapping limits on wolverines — and other species — arguing it’s needed to get a better idea of how many wolverines there are. 

Cypress Hills, which is an isolated patch of forested hills in an ocean of prairies, is now covered under a new cougar management area, which will allow the species to be hunted using hounds. 

“This is a change that encourages hunting of a species that is isolated, has declined, and is maybe just starting to recover, but there’s no evidence that we need a hunt or that this will in any way manage the population,” Ruiping Luo, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, said in an interview. 

‘We haven’t received any scientific evidence that justifies any of this’: conservation group

The season for hunting cougars in the park officially opened on Dec. 1. Cougar licences are sold by the province for $20.31.

The quota for the number of cougars that can be killed in the province has increased from 106 in 2022-2023 to 132 as of Dec. 1, 2024. The increase is due exclusively to an increase in the number of female cougars that can be hunted — from 42 to 68. The increase is due exclusively to an increase in the number of female cougars that can be hunted — from 42 to 68. In 2019, the government estimated there were approximately 1,550 cougars in Alberta, down from 2,050 in 2012.

In Cypress Hills, one female and one male can be killed between Dec. 1 and March 31, 2025, or until the quota has been met.  

Luo said her organization only found out about an expanded cougar hunt after it was put into place and said there’s a clear pattern of the government making announcements without consultation or warning. 

“We haven’t received any scientific evidence that justifies any of this,” she said of the cougar hunt. “We’ve also been trying to get a meeting more broadly with some of the ministers and have been struggling to get into contact with them.”

She said the population of cougars in Cypress Hills is low, so even two animals being killed will have a significant impact. 

Minister has previously disclosed income from his family outfitting business

According to the government’s website, “there are hunting opportunities on more than 85 per cent of the land base in Alberta’s parks system.” This includes all ecological reserves, wildland provincial parks and wilderness areas.

Loewen, who became minister in 2023, has been criticized for his motives for expanding hunting in the province.

The minister, who has previously declared income from Red Willow Outfitters in his ethics disclosures, hasn’t listed any income in his latest filing. Registry documents show the company, previously named Todd Loewen Outfitting Ltd., is now run by family members, including his wife. 

Loewen’s office did not respond to a request for an interview. The Narwhal has also reached out to hunting and trapping organizations but did not hear back by publication time. 

“Alberta is proud of our hunting heritage, unique culture and way of life,” Loewen said in an introduction to the 2024 hunting regulations guide. “We are home to over 150,000 resident hunters who enjoy a broad and generous diversity of hunting experiences and species. Our province is also happy to share these experiences, hosting hunters from across the country and around the world.”  

Luo said hunting regulations tended to be based on managing animal populations, particularly prey animals, but said the latest provincial moves don’t appear to have “any reason behind them.”

“This is the latest in several changes to the hunting and trapping regulations in Alberta that allow hunting or expand the range of hunting,” she said. “I guess my question is, ‘Where does it stop?’ ”

Updated Dec. 8, 2024, at 3:54 p.m. MT: An earlier version of this story said the province estimated there were approximately 2,050 cougars in Alberta in 2019. The estimate was 1,559.

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