Alberta municipalities call on province to reopen grizzly bear hunt as population spikes

It's been 20 years since Alberta ended sport grizzly bear hunting but some feel it's time to review the practice. The hunt really is just an idea that come off of something you know we maintain the population of the bears so that they can remain healthy and vibrant in there but also not over into our population causing problems for us. In recent years some rural communities say they're seeing more bears closer to home. A couple complaints about from afraid to put the kids out now because they're just not sure you know if they're going to go for a walk now they don't walk in their area they come into town to do the walking path or something like that. Last month the rural municipalities of Alberta adopted a motion by Carston County to lobby the government into action. We need to have a a realistic conversation about updating the data that we're using and and look at how we're going to manage human bear interaction and conflict in the future. Alberta's department of forestry and parks says their current approach is guided by science and expert advice with a focus on public safety reducing conflicts and maintaining sustainable bear populations. They say they will continue to work closely with Albertans to help achieve these objectives in bear habitats and landscapes. The Alberta Wilderness Association is urging caution when it comes to grizzly management especially if a hunt is on the table. We don't support a hunt because grizzlies are still a threatened species. They've shown some signs of recovery recently but we don't know how much their populations have recovered. The AWA says grizzly bears are critical to the Alberta ecosystem and other methods should be attempted before a hunt is reopened. Reducing attractants is a big one so locking up grain stores, livestock, making sure they're in fences as much as possible, things like removing berry bushes around residential areas. For now the rural municipalities say conversations are just getting started with safety for both humans and bears the top priority. Justin Sibbitt, Global News.