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If you’re planning a hike near Calgary, beware: you could have feline company.
Towns west of the city have pushed out alerts for cougar sightings, advising tourists to remain vigilant and encouraging residents to map the animal’s presence.
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The Town of Cochrane reported a cougar near RancheHouse conference centre on Friday, adding, “Fish and Wildlife officials have been contacted and are aware of the situation.”
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Alberta Fish and Wildlife didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, residents in the area have tracked the animal’s whereabouts.
When Wenda Pepin was walking her dog by the Bow River in Cochrane two days ago, she heard a faint growl.
Suddenly, her dog’s ears perked up, head down and tail between her legs as she growled.
“I didn’t see anything,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “My dog might have just been reacting to the scent. Keep your eyes open.” Pepin then posted a Google Earth image of her walk.
Two days earlier, Lorne Bremner, also from Cochrane, had written in a post that a cougar and her cubs had been “hanging around the ranch” for a few nights followed by a video of the animal sauntering outside a fenced yard.
Commenters worried over the possible euthanasia of the cougar, sharing their past encounters with wildlife.
The predatory cats have also been spotted in places west of Cochrane.
Alberta Parks issued a warning about cougars in YMCA’s Camp Chief Hector — located 80 kilometres west of the city near Exshaw — less than a week after the animal was spotted in the area.
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Alberta Parks said the animal hasn’t come in contact with humans and that its presence hasn’t halted the provincial agency’s camping operations in the region.
A similar warning for the site had been issued on July 27 after a deer carcass was found where a cougar had been seen nearby. The provincial agency observed that although the predator returns to its kill, the deer’s advanced decay dimmed its chances of returning.
Alberta Parks communications advisor Bridget Burgess-Ferrari told the Rocky Mountain Oulook the incident was the only kill identified so far but didn’t specify whether it was committed by one or multiple predators. She said a cougar’s range extends up to 300 square kilometres, adding the predator can travel up to 80 km a day.
Cougars, naturally afraid of humans and found in wooded, rocky areas, may den in dense underbrush, under an overhang of tree branches or beneath logs or in rock caves, according to Alberta Parks.
The agency also offered tips to protect yourself if confronted by the animal.
Make lots of noise. Have bear spray accessible. Stay alert. Travel in groups. Don’t let anyone in the group wander off alone, especially children.
