In February 2025, Albertans were shocked to learn that a cougar mother with two kittens had been killed just outside Canmore by a trophy hunter, leaving the two kittens unable to survive on their own, as they were too young. The official reasoning? Human error. But the truth was more complicated. These kittens were victims of a system that continues to treat apex predators as threats, rather than critical contributors to ecosystem health.

The incident became a flashpoint in a broader issue: the quiet erosion of transparency and science in Alberta’s hunting regulations. In 2024–2025, the Government of Alberta implemented sweeping changes to its cougar hunting policies. Female harvest quotas were more than doubled, with several new Cougar Management Areas opened, including some adjacent to and inside protected parks. Simultaneously, mandatory harvest reporting was removed, meaning that real-time population data would be harder to monitor, and decisions would be made with less accountability.

We responded swiftly and strategically. Our team released a detailed letter highlighting the dangers of removing science from wildlife policy. With data showing that Alberta's cougar population estimates refer to outdated models (with some zones relying on data over five years old), we called for an immediate moratorium on expanded hunting zones and a third-party population assessment before any new quotas were approved.

Trail Camera Project

This call to action was supported by our Trail Camera Project, which had just completed its first phase in the Village of Waiparous, northwest of Calgary in Alberta. There, and in our expanded program in other areas of the Municipal District of Big Horn, cameras captured rare footage of cougars and other predators silently coexisting right next to rural communities.

These images directly challenge the prevailing narrative that cougars pose a danger to the public. Instead, they show animals avoiding human contact, displaying strong familial bonds, and occupying ecological niches that keep prey populations and ecosystems in balance.

Thanks to early success in the MD of Big Horn, the project was extended for another full year. The data we collect will support our advocacy, community engagement and citizen science efforts.

Our message is simple: when we see these animals clearly, we make better decisions. And the time for clarity is now.

In the summer of 2024, news broke that Nakoda, a rare white grizzly bear that was a beloved and famous bear, passed away due to injuries sustained in a vehicle collision on the Trans-Canada Highway near the British Columbia-Alberta border in Yoho National Park. Her two young cubs were also struck and killed on the same highway. A day later, a male grizzly was also killed in similar circumstances. For many, this wasn’t just a tragedy; it was a wake-up call.

Grizzly bears are a threatened species. Yet, even with their designation, the momentum behind conservation efforts is slowing. In 2024, the Alberta government made changes to allow hunting of “problem” grizzly bears through the Wildlife Response Network, raising ethical questions about conflicting interests in managing at-risk species.

What does it mean to protect a species on paper, but underfund the systems and infrastructure needed to ensure their survival in practice?

We believe protection must mean more than a listing status. Through our Safe Passages and Road Safety campaign, we’ve amplified calls for wildlife overpasses and underpasses, particularly in high-conflict zones along Highway 1 and Highway 3. These wildlife crossing structures are not speculative; they are proven. Data from Banff National Park shows a 90% reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions where overpasses and fencing exist.

Nakoda’s Letter gathered over 3,000 signatures and engaged communities, scientists, and policymakers in a conversation about connectivity, about making sure that landscapes remain linked, that mother bears can raise cubs without being funnelled into highways, and that development doesn't continue to outpace common sense.

The loss of Nakoda was preventable. But if we act now, future generations of grizzlies might roam more safely across these same valleys. Our work continues, pressing for policy, funding, and public support that sees grizzly bears not as roadside casualties, but as keystone species deserving of space, respect, and long-term survival.

In 2024, we launched our boldest campaign yet, Trapped in the Past, a documentary series and advocacy initiative that exposes the brutal realities of Canada's commercial trapping industry, particularly the use of neck snares that kill wolves and other animals.

Neck snares are among the most inhumane killing devices still legally used in Canada. Designed to tighten as the animal struggles, snares often do not kill instantly. Wolves can suffer for days before dying from strangulation, exposure, or injury. This is not wildlife management. This is cruelty.

Despite widespread ethical concerns, neck snares remain legal in Canada because, when signing the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) in the late 1990s, Canada specifically negotiated to have them exempted from the agreement. This exemption means that neck snares are not subject to the AIHTS’s humane trapping requirements at all. As a result, they continue to be used under an outdated policy framework that fails to reflect modern science, evolving ethics, or the values of the Canadian public.

We believe the AIHTS must be reviewed and reformed. With the launch of our Trapped in the Past documentary series, we’ve begun reshaping the narrative. The series has already reached tens of thousands of viewers and mobilized public outcry.

Together, we are building a coalition to push Canada out of the past and into a future where compassion and science guide our relationship with wildlife.

The future of wildlife conservation depends not only on policy or protection, but on how we live alongside the animals that share our landscapes. That’s why coexistence is at the heart of everything we do at the Exposed Wildlife Conservancy.

Apex predators like cougars, grizzly bears, and wolves play a vital role in healthy ecosystems. They keep prey populations in check, influence animal behaviour across entire landscapes, and maintain the balance of biodiversity. But when humans move deeper into wild spaces, through development, recreation, or resource extraction, these predators are often the first to be labelled as a problem.

Research shows that education and proactive coexistence strategies dramatically reduce the likelihood of negative encounters. Public understanding can shift fear to respect, and fear-based management to science-based solutions. For example, studies across North America have shown that when communities are educated on attractant management, recreation practices, and wildlife behavior, conflict drops and tolerance increases.

In 2024, we launched our Knowledge Base, an online library designed to arm the public, policymakers, educators, and outdoor enthusiasts with accessible, evidence-based tools for coexistence. And in 2025 we launched an updated website. Our knowledge base started with four core areas:
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• Cougars
• Grizzly Bears
• Wolves
• Trapping

Our goal is simple: When people know better, they do better. And when it comes to coexistence with apex predators, knowledge is the key to the future.

Visit our knowledge base to learn more.