It was just another Tuesday morning at the Port Hardy Hospital when staff had a “surreal” encounter with a cougar out a back window.
X-ray technologist Danielle Nye was at work when a fellow staffer said there was a cougar out back at around 11 a.m.
Coverage of cougars on Globalnews.ca:
Nye went to see, and sure enough, there was an animal she described as a “juvenile cougar,” just sitting there staring in the window.
“He was not scared at all,” Nye told Global News.
Photos show the cougar looking into the hospital from a planter box before it walks away.
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The RCMP and the BC Conservation Officer Service were called and they arrived on the scene right away.
The cougar spent about 10 minutes behind the hospital before it took off, Nye said.
Describing the experience as “surreal,” she was concerned that the cougar looked so “tame.”
“I have a small dog and live across the highway from the hospital and worry about the safety of pets,” Nye said.
When cougars are spotted in areas outside the backcountry, they’re likely just “passing through,” according to the provincial government.
Anyone who spots a cougar is advised to stay away from them and to feed their pets indoors, as the smell of food could attract the animals.
READ MORE: WATCH — Brave cat stares down cougar in Port Hardy backyard
This is far from the first cougar encounter to be captured in Port Hardy.
Three years ago, a man filmed a cougar in his backyard as it looked to be after his neighbour’s cat.
The cat stared the cougar down from atop a fence, but it took off when the man opened a window for a better view.
Here are more photos of the cougar encounter in Port Hardy:
- With files from Amy Judd