Fish and Wildlife investigators in Grande Prairie are asking for tips after a young grizzly bear was found dead of a gunshot wound south of the city.
Around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, officers received a report from the Report A Poacher tip line. The body of a grizzly was found on a rural branch road south of the city.
According to a statement on the Alberta’s Fish and Wildlife Facebook page, the one-year-old female grizzly was lying under a road barricade sign at kilometre 42.5 of the Weyerhaeuser Road.
There was a single gunshot wound found on the carcass.
Based on the animal’s wounds, officers believe the bear had been killed a few hours prior to receiving the report, and that it was standing when it was shot. Investigators believe that the animal was killed at the location it was found and not moved there.
Grande Prairie Fish and Wildlife officers have talked to nearby hunters and canvassed other individuals in the area.
Investigators are asking anyone with information on the case to contact the Grande Prairie district office at 780-538-5265 or the 24-hour Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800.