Provincial wildfire officials are investigating the circumstances that led to two cougar kittens orphaned and left to fend for themselves after their mother was killed earlier this week by hunters near Canmore.
Sheena Campbell, director of communications for the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services, said Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (FWES) is investigating reports of two young cougars spotted alone near Canmore.
“If the reports are confirmed, FWES officers will work to capture the young cougars and will work closely with officials from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas to determine the best course of action for them moving forward,” she said in an email.
“As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to release further details at this stage.”
Campbell said there are regulations surrounding hunting female kittens, noting information can be found at https://mywildalberta.ca/hunting/game-species/cougar-hunting-alberta/default.aspx.
“We would also like to remind the public that it is unlawful to hunt a young cougar with spotted fur, or a female cougar accompanied by a young cougar with spotted fur,” she said.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact the Fish and Wildlife office in Cochrane at: 403-932-2388, the 24-hour Report a Poacher line at: 1-800-642-3800, or online at www.alberta.ca/report-poacher.aspx.
Campbell said four cougars have been killed in the Bow Valley this hunting season by licensed Alberta residents.
“The four harvests did not involve non-resident hunters,” she said.
“These harvests have been registered with FWES and officers are inspecting the cougars to determine if they have been taken in accordance with current hunting regulations.”
The drama began to unfold when Canmore wildlife photographer and conservationist John Marriott went out to check his trail cameras on the benchlands to the east of Canmore, between town and Gap Lake along Highway 1A, on Monday.
Before long, he came across a dead bighorn sheep 25 metres off the road by Bighorn Meadows, about five km east of Canmore. He quickly determined, however, that the sheep had been killed by a cougar, not struck by a vehicle.
Staking out the area in case the cougars came back to feed, Marriott soon noticed two or three men and a few dogs coming through the trees toward trucks and realized it was a hunting outfit with cougar hounds.
Following cougar tracks, and coming across bloodstained snow, he found the location where he believes the female cougar drew her last breath. There were tracks everywhere, and he initially thought there was one orphaned kitten.
However, in the coming days, he put several other trail cameras on the slopes of the mountain, which revealed there were two kittens.
On hearing on Thursday evening (Feb. 13) that the province was investigating, Marriott said he was relieved, but “it doesn't really quell the intense anger and sorrow I still feel about all of this.”
“This has been a rough few days, but I was relieved to hear today that Fish and Wildlife is investigating this incident,” he said.
"There is no question that what was done was unethical, but now it will be up to F&W to decide if it was also unlawful. I definitely hope that justice is served if they can prove this cougar was killed illegally.”
In 2024, the province of Alberta under Alberta Parks Minister Todd Loewen, himself a hunter whose family owns a hunting outfitter business, expanded the hunting quota for cougars.
The province had added new wildlife management units to allow hound hunting in more of Alberta.
Previous quotas were carefully established to manage the cougar population, maintain a stable age structure and reduce conflict. These recent expansions go against years of science-based management.
The number of cougars hunted in Alberta from April 1 2023 to March 31, 2024, was 103, which includes resident and non-resident hunters. Of the 103, 26 were female.
Other human-caused mortality over that same period amounted to 73 cougars, referred to by the statistics as incidental, including traps, landowner kills or so-called problem cougars.
Marriott said he hopes the death of this cougar, which he has tracked around the Canmore region for the past four years, leads to change.
“I hope this serves as a catalyst for change in how our wildlife is managed,” he said.
