By Alex Mccuaig on January 4, 2014.
ALEX McCUAIGA third cougar was shot and killed Friday morning in the Elkwater townsite following three attacks by the big cats on pets over December.
Peter Swain, Cypress Hills Provincial Park manager, said the second of two juvenile cougars was roused by a specialized dog team from its den under a cabin Friday morning, run up a tree and killed. “That made it about seven nights in a row we had cats underneath that house,” said Swain. “It was flushed and treed within 15 minutes and put down quickly.” Park officials had earlier this week identified two juvenile cougars they believed responsible for the pet attacks, the latest involving a Jack Russell terrier on Dec. 28. A third adult cougar was also taken.
Swain described the attack as “atypical” of cougar behaviour as the dog’s owners were nearby in a hot tub when the attack occurred and were able to scare off the feline before it killed the dog. Specialists were called in to help hunt down the problem cats, killing one of the two identified juvenile cougars on Wednesday as well as the adult which was becoming habitualized near the townsite.
The third cat had eluded the dog team Thursday after it ran across the Hidden Valley Ski Resort after being roused from its den underneath the cabin just before the hill opened. Swain said opinion of the decision to destroy the cougars has been mixed but added public safety is the foremost consideration. “Anytime you are dealing with wildlife conflict like this you will have a diversity of opinion we certainly respect that,” said Swain. “For the most part, most of the cottage owners I’ve been speaking to are quite happy we are doing something about this and taking this very seriously.” Swain added the cougar population of around 20 remains “robust” for the area.
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