Cougar kills dog in B.C.: What to do when you come across the 'stalking' animal

A wildlife expert wants Canadians to know what to do to avoid encounters with cougars, after a park in B.C. was evacuated over the weekend when a pet was fatally attacked.

The campground of Cultus Lake Provincial Park, near Chilliwack, was cleared after reports of an “aggressive cougar” in the area on Thursday night.

The Conservation Officer Service confirmed with the Chilliwack Progress that they’d received a report in the region of a cougar that had killed a dog and “displayed stalking behaviour towards people”.

The park was reopened on Sunday. It’s the second reported incident with a cougar in Canada in recent months. In June, a mountain biker on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast was swatted by the animal while biking on a trail. Last year, an Alberta boy was left with 200 stitches after being attacked by a cougar on a family camping trip.

Lee Foote, a conservation biologist with the University of Alberta, explains that there are a few factors that lead to the apparent uptick in scary encounters between people and large wildlife.

The basis is that there’s a larger human population, coupled with more large wildlife like bears, cougars and coyotes. So there’s a lot more contact between humans and these creatures, especially as they migrate to populated urban areas where they might come across sources of food more easily.

“The stage is well set, we can expect to see this and probably increase a little in the future with our tolerance for these animals because they move into cities,” Foote tells Yahoo News Canada.

Foote says there’s an increased awareness about encounters with wildlife, and a hunger for these types of stories in the media, which leads to more headlines.

“These events, the lethal ones, are so minute compared to human deaths by cars, electrocution or poisoning,” he says. “Those don’t make the news. So there’s a reporting bias that comes in here.”

Vancouver Island is said to have the highest concentration of cougars, as it’s a region that has a high population of Blacktail deer, the animals’ favourite meal. There are approximately 4,000 cougars in the province of B.C., with an estimated 600-800 on Vancouver Island.

“The opportunity to bump into these animals on trails or in backyards (on Vancouver Island) is very high,” Foote says.

He says as the deer population expands to eastern regions, so will the population of cougars, and in turn, there will likely be more encounters with humans.

“The deer are the fuse and the cougars are the dynamite,” Foote says.

The cougar's population is considered secure in Canada, having bounced back from dwindling numbers a few centuries ago with the introduction of European settlers. Each province and territory is legally responsible for protecting the animals. B.C. and Alberta allow the hunting of cougars as big game, but only with the proper licence and permit. Otherwise, the catch, possession, trade, sale or threat to cougars is prohibited.

Another thing worth noting about cougars is that their instincts are hardwired. So when they see a small, noisy animal, like a barking dog, it will trigger their food instinct.

“It’s going to hit that animal just like a cat will hit a string,” Foote explains. “It just can’t help itself. It’s not malicious, it’s not malevolent, it’s just an instinctive prey response.”

Cougars have also become more habituated, growing to be less cautious over time of places where people might gather, like campgrounds.

“Before long, they realize this isn’t going to hurt them,” Foote says. “All of a sudden there’s food, so they’ll dash in there and get a small dog or a small child. We’re inadvertently training these animals to not be afraid of humans.”

When there’s been a report of a cougar attack, conservation officials will do their best to track the animal to be euthanized, since they can’t be rehabilitated. Foote says this can prove to be difficult as cougars have a large range and it can be hard to distinguish the exact one that attacked.

If people do come across a cougar in their travels, it’s advised to be as big, aggressive and loud as possible. If there’s some bear spray handy, use it, as it also works on cougars.

“Cougars are chickens,” Foote says. “We’re not normal prey for them. Look tall and big. And don’t back away. Distance is your friend, size is your friend, aggressive sounds are your friend.”

Since cougars don’t like to be seen, they’re more active in the evening than they are during the day, so any pets running around in the dark are more prone to encounter a cougar.

But Foote stresses that Canadians shouldn’t let an irrational fear of bears or cougars keep them away from the country’s vast wildlife.

“Take precautions and keep going out, stay connected,” he says. “It’s not a big risk, it’s a very small risk.”