Send a Letter: Reverse the decision to expand cougar hunting

December 11, 2024

Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks, has expanded cougar hunting, acting against the recommendations of Alberta’s Cougar Management Plan and current data on cougar populations. Cougars are an important part of the ecosystem. Hunting not only threatens population structure, it can also increase human-cougar conflicts.

This change is not based on the currently available science, and does not act in the best interests of Albertans. More information on the recent changes is available here or here.

Write a letter now to voice your opposition!

Write a letter to Minister Loewen (fp.minister@gov.ab.ca), and cc Shadow Minister for Environment and Protected Areas Sarah Elmeligi (Sarah.Elmeligi@assembly.ab.ca), your MLA (find their contact here) and AWA (rluo@abwild.ca).

Subject: Reverse the Decision to Expand Cougar Hunting

Dear Minister Loewen,

I am writing to ask you reverse the recent decisions to increase cougar quotas and expand cougar hunting to new areas, including Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.

The 2019 cougar population estimate is 1559 cougars in the province, close to the minimum viable population of 1500 set in the 2012 Cougar Management Plan. Increases in cougar hunting quotas, especially for female cougars, could harm and disrupt the population. These changes also risk increasing the number of human-cougar conflicts, as cougar hunting has been shown to escalate cougar encounters and conflicts.

I ask that you:

Provide evidence to support your claims that cougar populations number 2000 in Alberta and need culling.
Provide evidence to support your claim that hunting will help to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
Monitor populations and impacts of hunting and provide publicly available reports on the status of cougars and other wildlife in Alberta.
Set quotas appropriate for the provincial cougar population based on science and available data.

The current decisions do not align with Alberta’s Cougar Management Plan released in 2012, nor will they reduce human-cougar conflicts. Until such time as expert evidence suggests hunting is an appropriate management strategy, these decisions must be reversed and an appropriate hunting quota set based on scientific data.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Postal Code]

Or, fill out the template below to send a letter.

Every letter makes a difference!

Write a Letter to Oppose the Expansion of Cougar Hunting

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Subject(Required)

Message(Required)

I am writing to ask you reverse the recent decisions to increase cougar quotas and expand cougar hunting to new areas, including Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.

The 2019 cougar population estimate is 1,559 cougars in the province, close to the minimum viable population of 1,500 set in the 2012 Cougar Management Plan. Increases in cougar hunting quotas, especially for female cougars, could harm and disrupt the population. These changes also risk increasing the number of human-cougar conflicts, as cougar hunting has been shown to escalate cougar encounters and conflicts.

I ask that you:

1.	Provide evidence to support your claims that cougar populations number 2,000 in Alberta and need culling.

2.	Provide evidence to support your claim that hunting will help to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.

3.	Monitor populations and impacts of hunting and provide publicly available reports on the status of cougars and other wildlife in Alberta.

4.	Set quotas appropriate for the provincial cougar population based on science and available data.

Sincerely,

CAPTCHA