A city-strolling cougar has Kelowna residents on edge, but its fleeting presence isn’t entirely unusual or high risk.
A cougar was sighted in the last few nights on Lakeshore Road, Dickson Avenue and Abbott and Richter streets.
“Kelowna cougar sighting numbers are similar to past years and represent the area we live in,” conservation officer Ken Owens said in an emailed statement.
Cougars, Owens said, are normally nocturnal and typically prey on their available food source within the areas they live.
“This diet can include primarily deer which also live within the city of Kelowna,” he said.
A cougar’s ability to travel long distances occasionally brings these cats into seemingly inappropriate areas, even places densely settled by humans. Such appearances are almost always brief, with the animal moving along quickly in its search for a suitable permanent home.
“The cougar sighted this past week was exhibiting normal, natural behaviour and has been assessed to have a low public safety risk,” Owens said.
“Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare, to obtain cougar safety tips and cougar facts visit wildsafebc.com.”
The Ministry of Environment estimates the cougar population within B.C. to be approximately 7,000 animals. Even though cougars are seldom seen, the public should be aware they are present and at rare times travel through rural residential areas.
If you see one, don’t approach or feed it, stay back and stay calm. Maintain eye contact, never turn your back and speak in a confident voice, Owens said.
Also, keep children close.
“If a cougar approaches — stand your ground, appear large, make noise, hold your coat open, raise your arms and do not bend over or crouch down. Use a stick, rock, walking stick and deploy your bear spray for protection, he said. And if it attacks fight back.”
To report a sighting call 1-877-952-7277