Off-leash dogs now allowed in Alberta parks — but only on cougar hunts

Alberta has amended its provincial park regulations to enable the rollout of its new cougar hunting rules — now, off-leash hunting dogs are permitted in some provincial parks.

According to Alberta Parks, regulations require all pets to be leashed or caged at all times while in provincial parks, wildland provincial parks and provincial recreation areas.

But the government quietly changed that last month with a directive dated Nov. 18, 2024 — just weeks before the start of the winter cougar-hunting season.

Alberta park regulations have now been amended so the rule about leashing dogs “​​does not apply to an owner of a dog who uses the dog to hunt cougar in a park or recreation area.”

The directive allows for hunting cougars with dogs in both Cypress Hills Provincial Park and Castle Provincial Park. It specifies leashes are still required within 183 metres of a building and in some specific areas of CastlePark. 

John Marriott, the co-founder of Exposed Wildlife Conservancy, said the public was widely consulted on the management plans for both Castle and Cypress Hills Provincial Park, but the same isn’t true of the latest changes. 

“This directive and this change to allow cougar hunting goes completely against that widely consulted park management plan,” he said. “Nobody was consulted.”

Dogs are used to track cougars and to chase them up into trees so hunters can more easily shoot the elusive cats.

“It’s virtually the only way to successfully harvest cougars,” Alberta Parks and Forestry Minister Todd Loewen told CBC of hound hunting.

Loewen’s press secretary did not respond to emailed questions or a phone call. 

Ruiping Luo, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, said parks are meant to be refuges for animals, including threatened species, and that there’s no guarantee even a well-trained hunting dog would only go after the target animal.

“Who is checking to make sure that these dogs are not running after the birds or the species at risk in the area?” she said in an interview.

Cougar hunting allowed in Cypress Hills Provincial Park as of Dec. 1

​​The season for hunting cougars in Cypress Hills Provincial 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.  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.  

Under the new park rules, hunters can use dogs to track and hunt cougars but they must be able to “return on command” and be monitored by GPS.

Marriott said cougar hounds can be heard from kilometres away when they’re hunting, emitting a sound that is “low and deep and resonates through the valley and throughout the forest.”

“I think it’s just going to completely upset recreationists that are using these provincial parks,” he said. “In Cypress Hills, for instance, this time of year, there’s hundreds of families that are going out and purchasing Christmas tree cutting permits,” he added, noting those families are hiking around the park and not expecting it could be possible hunting hounds are running loose.

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Neither the Alberta Professional Outfitter Society, nor the Alberta Tree Hound Association returned interview requests.

“Cougar hunting is not only detrimental to the population, but can increase conflict,” the Alberta Wilderness Association said in a statement, noting trophy hunting of cougars often targets healthy, mature cougars, which disrupts the social structure. “Younger males move into the territories of animals lost through hunting, and the inexperienced and aggressive younger males are more likely to attack cattle and other livestock, leading to higher rates of human-wildlife conflict.” 

Minister in charge of Alberta parks previously ran a hunting business

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

The park straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, and hunting is not allowed in the Saskatchewan side of the park. 

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 or to detailed questions about new cougar hunting rules.

Speaking to CBC about concerns raised about his family ties to hunting, Loewen said “that was taken care of with the ethics commissioner’s approval,” noting he no longer receives any income or dividends from the business.

Marriott has serious concerns about Loewen’s changes to park rules. 

“There is a lot going on here with Minister Loewen completely going against what the public wants at this point, and what it’s expecting from a minister that’s supposed to be looking after wildlife — instead of going out and just making it easier to kill wildlife,” he said.

Updated Dec. 8, 2024, at 3:53 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.