Fauna

For 10,000 years, hundreds of thousands of bison roamed Alberta [1]’s plains, and wolves and grizzly bears inhabited all parts of the province, but this all changed with the arrival of Europeans. Trappers and traders first devastated beaver and mink populations, then killed off all of the bison, wolves, and grizzlies on the prairies.

Today, because of the foresight of early conservationists, mammal populations have stabilized, and Alberta’s wilderness once again provides some of North America’s best opportunities for viewing wildlife.