Conservation officers recently trapped and then destroyed a cougar that was preying on sheep in the Raft River area of Clearwater.
“We had to put it down because it was used to being around humans and was predating on livestock,” said conservation officer Warren Chayer, who added that the sheep-killing had taken place within probably 100 m of a residence.
The incident began with a report of sheep being killed near the junction of Highway 5 and Old North Thompson Highway on the east side of town.
The conservation officers tried to track the big cat with hounds but without success.
A trap was set and it caught the cougar in the early morning hours of July 13.
Although no necropsy was carried out, the cougar appeared to be in good health and was not emaciated. It was an adult.
“People need to be aware that with the way Clearwater is laid out, cougars are around all the time,” Chayer said. “Usually they are just doing their own thing but on occasion they will get used to being close to people and start taking livestock – they're easier than deer.”
Usually adult humans are not in danger, but children and pets can be perceived as prey.
According to the Ministry of Environment website, there have been only five fatal attacks by cougars on people in the past 100 years in B.C. This compares to three people killed by bees in Canada each year.
The vast majority of cougar attacks are on children under age 16.
The Ministry says that cougars seem to be attracted to children, possibly because their high-pitched voices, small size, and erratic movements make it difficult for cougars to identify them as human and not prey.
The Ministry advises:
• Talk to children and teach them what to do if they encounter a cougar.
• Encourage children to play outdoors in groups, and supervise children playing outdoors.
• Consider getting a dog for your children as an early-warning system. A dog can see, smell, and hear a cougar sooner then we can. Although dogs offer little value as a deterrent to cougars, they may distract a cougar from attacking a human.
• Consider erecting a fence around play areas.
• Keep a radio playing.
• Make sure children are home before dusk and stay inside until after dawn.
• If there have been cougar sightings, escort children to the bus stop in the early morning. Clear shrubs away around the bus stop, making an area with a nine-metre (30 foot) radius. Have a light installed as a general safety precaution.