The cougar that sunned itself on a sundeck in Ruskin in late December spent too much time hanging around people and was put down Monday morning.
Conservation officers arrived at a trailer park on 287th Street and tranquillized the cougar at about 9:45 a.m. It was then taken away and put down.
Cougars can’t be relocated because they’ll find their way back or get killed by other cougars.
“It’s very sad. It’s the worst part of the job but public safety is our number one concern,” said conservation officer Eric Tyukodi.
The cat, a 15-month-old female, was reported late last year when resident Kevyn Helmer recorded her lounging on his deck.
On Monday, another resident found the cougar sleeping in his yard.
That showed the cat had lost its fear of humans and had become dangerous to anyone who stumbled upon her.
“They’re usually very shy with people. They typically stay away from people,” Tyukodi said.
But it likely it lost its fear of people after hanging around, realizing it was a safe area away from other cougars, and began feasting on people’s pet cats.
“House cats are one of their favourite foods. They’re a very big attractant for cougars. And leaving them outside, especially at night time, is one of the ways they can be drawn into an area,” Tyukodi added.
He’s confident it’s the same animal seen in late December. Tyukodi said the conservation service received six calls about cougar sightings in the neighbourhood the past week.
“This is bascially the same cat. Without a doubt, it’s the same cat.”
https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/cougar-chills-out-for-a-bit-in-east-maple-ridge/
What was disturbing was its lack of fear of people.
“It’s very rare that you see a cougar bedding down in someone’s yard. That presented a significant public safety risk,” Tyukodi said.
Once cougars get used to livestock or pets, they lose their fear of people. That can lead to cougars attacking people, children in particular. That happened in Burnaby last spring and again in Mission last Dec. 17 at Cascade Falls Regional Park. The toddler received some scratches to his back and a puncture wound to his arm, but was not seriously injured.
Tyukodi reminded people to keep farm animals in safely at night and use to use electric fences and keep pets inside.
“The more food that we have available for them, the more at ease they are around us.”
Conservation officers are also looking into a report of two goats being killed by a cougar in the 287th Street on Jan. 10, but haven’t been contacted directly by the owners.
