VANCOUVER – A cougar was killed in North Vancouver today after a resident said it attacked her cat and was preying on raccoons on her property.
Conservation officer Todd Hunter said they received a call around midnight on Sunday about the cougar in the 3200-block of Highland Blvd. A conservation officer responded and determined it was a cougar attack. The homeowner called again at 3 a.m. to say the cougar had returned and was preying on raccoons at the back of her property.
Conservation officers were concerned due to it being a very high traffic area with schools and construction sites nearby.
They called in a cougar houndsman contractor and the dogs found the cougar just after 8:30 a.m. The cougar, believed to be about 12 months old, was found in a thick, vegetated area about 30 to 40 metres from the homeowner’s property.
“It’s abnormal, unusual and very frightening and alarming for the public to have cougar in this highly domestic area,” said Hunter. “There’s a lot of traffic — a school nearby and a major bus route along the boulevard, so this cougar had to be destroyed.”
He added there may be siblings and the mother still in the area and wants to urge residents to call conservation if they see a cougar displaying threatening behaviour or preying on domestic animals.
“Given the age of the cougar, we expect there could be a sibling or even a mother in the vicinity,” said Hunter. “It’s most likely there is a mother along with this cougar because it was hunting animals on its own, so it’s learned to hunt and adapt in this area.”
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