A cougar spotted chasing deer in the middle of the afternoon directly behind homes in Eagle Terrace in Canmore has wildlife officials warning the public to keep their pets on-leash and to be wary on the trails.
Fish and Wildlife officers received a report at 1:30 p.m. on Friday (April 15) of a cougar chasing several deer into the woods adjacent to the wildlife park boundary.
Fish and Wildlife Officer Dave Dickson responded to the call, but found no evidence of a kill during his investigation.
“There were lots of deer tracks, but no sign of a kill,” Dickson said.
Dickson said it’s rare to see a cougar hunting so close to homes in the middle of the afternoon, as they tend to find their prey in the early morning or at dusk.
The cougar, Dickson said, appeared to chase deer into the forest, away from homes.
While wildlife officials want cougars to hunt their prey in the wildland areas, it comes as no surprise the large cats are hunting closer to the valley bottom.
“Elk and deer populations are most food stressed at this time of the year, especially with the amount of snowfall we have had. Often this leads ungulates to come closer to town and feed in residential areas. Of course, this also encourages carnivores to follow them into town.” said Bow Valley Wildsmart Education Program Director Kim Titchener.
Because cougars rely on stealth, sightings are few and far between, however, a female cougar and her two kittens were spotted on the south side of the valley recently. Officials are unsure how many cougars live in the Bow Valley and there is currently no research underway studying their numbers or behaviour.
Despite the scarcity of sightings, the public must be diligent and take proper precautions to avoid encounters, Titchener said.
“It is important to always supervise small children and keep pets on leash, as our neighborhoods are often adjacent to or in the middle of a wildlife corridor and we should always assume that wildlife might be nearby as they attempt to cross through the townsite to get back and forth between Banff and Kananaskis Country,” Titchener said.
While neighbourhood cougar sightings are rare, District Conservation Officer Glenn Naylor wants hikers and dog walkers to be extra cautious on trails – especially on the south side of the valley.
As temperatures climb, south-facing meadows clear first, creating excellent early season grazing spots for ungulates.
For example, on Lady Macdonald Trail, bighorn sheep converge by the boulder field below the tea house, which in turn creates prime cougar hunting territory.
“The sheep are up there, utilizing the vegetation, and cougars take advantage of that and will be up there hunting for sheep,” Naylor said, noting the boulder field creates an ideal ambush location for cougars.
Since the Lady MacDonald is one of the first trails available for hiking in spring, the chances of human/wildlife conflict heighten.
Two off-leash dogs were attacked by cougars last year near the boulder field and Naylor wants to avoid a similar situation this year on the popular trail. That can be achieved by keeping dogs on-leash when hiking on the Lady Macdonald trail or leaving them at home. A cougar is very likely to attack a dog if it is protecting a kill site, Naylor said.
“We know on the Lady MacDonald trail, because of its popularity, it’s one location where the chances of an encounter are higher than other areas,” Naylor said. “There is no need for this conflict. The best way to prevent it is if you go for a hike, consider leaving your dog behind. If you cannot do that, you must keep it on a leash at all times.”
By failing to do so, Naylor says pets and cougars are put at risk.
He guesses the cougar attacks on dogs last year could have been avoided if the pets were on-leash.
When hiking, Naylor encourages the public to carry bear spray and a large walking stick – two useful tools in the event of a cougar encounter. It is also important to reverse your route when encountering a cougar kill site.
