Release: Questionable cougar numbers and hunting rationale provided by Minister
December 9, 2024
Not only has Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks provided questionable cougar population numbers, but more evidence has come to light indicating that his ties to the Guide-Outfitting industry are a Conflict of Interest with his role.
When asked about the recent cougar hunting changes, the Minister stated the management plan “indicates we want to keep a healthy population of cougars on the landscape of about 1500 animals” and “presently we have about 2000 cougars in the province.”
However, this estimate is over a decade out of date. The 2012 Cougar Management Plan estimated that Alberta had a population of approximately 2050 cougars, but the 2019 winter cougar season quota updates by the province’s own biologists reassessed cougar abundance in Alberta and found a population of 1559 cougars across the province. Cougar quotas in some areas were reduced in 2022 to maintain target removal rates at 14 to 16 percent.
Additionally, contrary to the Minister’s claims, the Cougar Management Plan sets an objective to “Maintain a viable population of at least 1,500 cougars on provincial lands in Alberta (emphasis added).” Based on the 2019 numbers, Alberta is already precariously close to the minimum viable population.
At the same time as the Minister’s decision to expand cougar hunting, the Wild Sheep Foundation is offering a bounty of up to $7000 on cougars. This year, they are offering a bonus of $1000 on female cougars, coinciding neatly with the Minister’s increase in female cougar quotas.
Female cougars spend 75 percent of their life expecting, nurturing and raising young. That means any female hunted is likely to have cubs, and without their mother, these cubs usually starve. The increased female cougar quotas and bounty could cause rapid population decline.
“There is no evidence that the expansion of cougar hunting is appropriate or necessary for the current cougar population,” says Ruiping Luo, Conservation Specialist with Alberta Wilderness Association, “As with other recent hunting changes, this decision was made without public consultation or supporting evidence. If the Minister has any justification for this decision, it needs to be publicly shared.”
As The Narwhal reported on December 2, Minister Loewen’s outfitting business (Red Willow Outfitters, based out of Valleyview) is now owned by his wife and son. His recent decisions, including increasing cougar quotas, favour guide-outfitters and are a direct conflict of interest with his present role as Minister of Forestry and Parks. He has stated that he and his family do not benefit from these decisions, yet his family is still closely involved in the outfitting business, and many outfitters likely benefit from the removal of predators on the landscape.
“When we dug into the Minister’s past with the Ethics Commissioner, we discovered that not only is his family, including his wife, still running his business, but also that the Ethics Commissioner originally denied him twice in his present role managing the province’s wildlife,” says John E. Marriott, co-founder of the Exposed Wildlife Conservancy.
Previous quotas were carefully established to manage the population and maintain a stable age structure and reduce conflict. These recent expansions go against years of science-based management. We demand Minister Loewen provide the data and rationale behind his recent hunting expansions.
Other facts:
For more information, contact:
Ruiping Luo, Alberta Wilderness Association (rluo@abwild.ca, 403-283-2025)
John Marriott, Exposed Wildlife Conservancy (johnemarriott@gmail.com, 403-688-3851)
