A mother cougar and her two adolescent cubs that have been spotted around the community of Mesachie Lake since August are raising concerns.
Resident David Lowther said he fears that the mother is teaching her cubs how to hunt in the community, and he noted that his cat disappeared in late September in an area where the cougars have been caught on video, and that chickens have also been disappearing in Mesachie Lake since the big cats arrived.
He said it’s not unusual for cougars to be sighted around Mesachie Lake, but they rarely go into the community and stay there.
Lowther said he has been in contact with conversation officers about the cougars and they have visited Mesachie Lake to assess the situation.
“The conservation officers said there’s nothing they can do unless the cougars escalate their behaviour in the community, but do we want to wait until that happens?” he asked.
“One must assume that nothing will be done before a child is attacked, and with Halloween coming, the kids will be out in twilight and they could be in danger. Do we want to roll the dice with the children’s safety?”
Conservation officer Scott Norris said the situation in Mesachie Lake is being monitored by his department.
He said the Conservation Officer Service was contacted on Aug. 14 and told that a cougar and two adolescent cubs had been spotted near Mesachie Lake’s boat launch, and were again seen twice in the community in September, but there’s been no other sightings that he’s aware of.
“We’ve heard stories about a missing cat and some chickens, but we’re getting these from second-hand sources and there’s been no confirmation that they’ve been taken by cougars,” Norris said.
“We’ve received no calls about them being aggressive or showing any interest in humans or following them at this point. It must be remembered that this is Mesachie Lake and cougars have been around there since time immemorial.”
Norris said conservation officers will not intervene to relocate, or euthanize, the cougars unless they prove to be a safety risk, and they will continue to monitor them for now.
“We wouldn’t relocate them unless we really need to,” he said.
“Unlike a place like Victoria which is an urban centre, Mesachie Lake is next to the wilderness and the cougars have lots of places to go because it’s already a cougar area. As well, relocating them poses risks to the cougars that we wouldn’t want to take if it’s not necessary. As for euthanizing them, that would be the last resort.”
Norris said his advice to the community is to keep their pets in at night, and to have fencing around chickens.
“We’ve been getting a record number of calls this year about cougars in the south Vancouver Island area, including Lake Cowichan and Honeymoon Bay, so there are a lot of them around right now,” he said.
A government website provides guidelines in the event that you encounter a cougar.
It says to stay calm and keep the cougar in view, and pick up children immediately as they frighten easily and the noise and movements they make could provoke an attack.
“Back away slowly, ensuring that the animal has a clear avenue of escape,” the website said.
“Make yourself look as large as possible and keep the cougar in front of you at all times. Never run or turn your back on a cougar as a sudden movement may provoke an attack. If a cougar shows interest or follows you, respond aggressively, maintain eye contact with the cougar, show your teeth and make loud noises and arm yourself with rocks or sticks as weapons.”
The website said if a cougar attacks, fight back, convince the cougar you are a threat and not prey, and use anything you can as a weapon.
“Focus your attack on the cougar's face and eyes, and use rocks, sticks, bear spray or personal belongings as weapons," the website said. “You are trying to convince the cougar that you are a threat, and are not prey.”
