Okanagan conservation officers say there have been multiple cougar sightings in Kelowna within the past week.
In one instance, a cougar killed a deer next to a residence along Cascia Drive on Jan. 2. Conservation officers removed the carcass.
As a result, the Conservation Officer Service (COS) issued a public statement on Saturday, saying the cougar sighted this past week was exhibiting normal behaviour and is deemed to have a low risk to public safety.
“In the past week, the Conservation Officer Service has received multiple reports of cougar sightings, primarily nocturnally, along the lakefront of the Lower Mission and in the Bellevue Creek/Mill Creek areas,” said the COS. “Kelowna cougar sighting numbers are similar to past years and represent the area we live in.”
The COS says cougars are normally nocturnal and typically prey on available food sources where they live. Their diet includes deer, so officers are asking the public to not feed deer or other prey species, as this may attract cougars.
They added that cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare.
More information about cougars is available online.