Cougar spotted in parking lot of Camosun College in Saanich

Saanich Police issued a warning after a cougar was seen at the Camosun College Lansdowne campus in the early morning hours on Friday.

It’s the latest in a series of cougar sightings on Vancouver Island.

Police were called in at approximately 1:10 a.m. after a member of the security staff saw the cougar in the north parking lot of the campus.

Police say the animal casually walked away into a treed area and there were no further reported sightings.

Sgt. Steve Eassie with Saanich Police says the animal in question appeared healthy and had no obvious injuries.

“It did not show any signs of aggression or predatory behaviour while being observed, and was likely wandering from green space to green space in search of food,” he says.

While overall sightings aren’t up this year over last, there has been a spike in activity this month with animals being reported in urban areas, often in daylight.

There were previous reports in the media that a cougar recently tranquilized and removed from the James Bay area of Victoria may have been the same cougar that has been reported in Oak Bay in the past few weeks.

Owners of small pets are reminded to keep their animals inside throughout the evening because cougars generally move around in the evening hours.

The BC conservation office has been notified of the sighting.