Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers said they had “little choice” but to euthanize a cougar after it attacked a dog outside a residence near Sundre, Alta., Thursday.
The dog’s owners had let their pet out of the house when the cougar attack occurred, said Brendan Cox, communications advisor with the Alberta government.
“A cougar ran by, picked it up, and ran into some nearby trees,” he said.
The attack was reported to the province’s Report-A-Poacher line and officers arrived with a houndsman to find the big cat.
It was eventually located near the home. Cox said since the cougar was now targetting pets in the area, “it posed a clear risk to public safety and property in the area.”
“It is very difficult for an animal to unlearn this sort of behaviour, so officers had little choice but to put the cougar down in order to prevent any future incidents of predation or danger to public safety,” he said.
The dog’s remains were never found, he added.
“Cougars usually avoid people, and most of the time, there are no problems with these animals,” he said. “However, cougars sometimes see domestic cats and dogs as easy prey. Keep your cats indoors and bring your dogs inside at night.”
Additional cougar safety tips are available on the Alberta Government’s cougar safety web page.
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