Alberta government expands cougar hunting areas, quotas

The Alberta government has created six new areas where cougar hunting is allowed, including inside a provincial park.

Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen says Alberta’s cougar population has reached about 2,000, while an ideal population is 1,500.

Loewen says he doesn’t want to see cougars overhunted, but some harvesting is needed.

He says cougar hunting is being permitted in new parts of the province, such as Cypress Hills Provincial Park in southeast Alberta, because the big cats are appearing in different habitats.

Alberta Wilderness Association conservationist Ruiping Luo says she’s concerned the government has expanded hunting limits on another animal without scientific justification.

Last month, Loewen said his ministry had removed trapping limits on a number of fur-bearing animals like wolverines because the existing data wasn’t strong enough to justify the limitations.

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