A Nanaimo woman and her husband are grateful they didn’t let their dog out into their backyard on the weekend after finding a cougar there.
Cheryl Thompson, who lives in the 6000 block of Icarus Drive, said her husband was awakened at about 1 a.m. Sunday, June 11, by their dog’s barking and growling.
“He didn’t let him out, thinking it was raccoons,” Thompson said, in a message to the News Bulletin. “Thank god we didn’t, as we woke up in the morning to find a cougar and his kill.”
The cougar had taken down a deer and was guarding its kill in the corner of their backyard. The Thompsons called the B.C. Conservation Service and kept an eye on the cat until a conservation officer arrived.
“He was very protective of his kill as an eagle tried to come in for a taste,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get a picture. The cougar then tried to bury it by digging up our lawn, but the ground was too hard.”
The conservation officer arrived and called for RCMP backup since it was a big cat and they wanted to make certain the cat would go over their fence and down the embankment instead of fleeing through neighbours’ yards.
After the cougar jumped over the Thompsons’ back gate and down the embankment, the police and conservation officer checked to see if it was safe to toss the deer carcass down the embankment so the cat could eat, but the bank wasn’t deep enough to provide enough separation to ensure a safe distance from their yard.
“The conservation officer said he would be back looking for his kill and he was in … our neighbour’s yard last night around 10 p.m.,” she said. “He was also spotted at the top of Blueback stairs this morning.”
Thompson posted a sign at the Invermere Beach access to warn others in the area about the cougar for the safety of people and their dogs.
“They are a beautiful animal and the last thing I want to see is it get hurt…” Thompson said. “We now have an air horn just in case one comes to visit again.”
READ ALSO: Cougar chases and attacks mountain biker near popular trail in Roberts Creek, B.C.
The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy noted in an e-mail that a conservation officer used chalk rounds from a paintball gun to ‘haze’ the animal out of the yard, but had to take the deer carcass away because of fear the cat would keep returning to to the yard over several days to consume it.
Conservation officers also responded to a second sighting of the cougar two doors down from the Thompsons’ property Sunday night and hazed it away again.
On Monday, June 12, the cat was seen next to the stairs leading to Blueback Beach, but it was not exhibiting “concerning behaviour.” The conservation officer who responded to the sightings advised that the cougar is in its natural habitat and that there are plenty of deer in the area, which is a travel corridor for the cats.
Anyone who sees a cougar is encouraged to visit the Wild Safe B.C. website at http://wildsafebc.com for tips on how to stay safe around wild animals. Cougar sightings or encounters can be reported to the RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line at 1-877-952-7277.
READ ALSO: Cougar tranquilized after being spotted outside Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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