A young cougar was destroyed in Campbell River Monday morning.
Campbell River RCMP initally responded to a report of a cougar in a backyard on Westgate Road. They requested help from the conservation officer service.
Steve Petrovcic, conservation officer, said that when he arrived on scene, he observed the cat moving from yard to yard. In the yard it was initally spotted in, he found the remnants of small mammals– rabbit and house cats.
He was told by residents on scene that there had been reports of missing house cats recently.
On Labour Day, a number of the residents were on the street and in their yards.
“The cougar was exhibiting very desensitized behaviour and was clearly very comfortable in amongst the highly developed neighbourhood,” he said.
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The cougar continued to travel and made its way into yards along Galerno Road.
When officers were presented with a safe shooting opportunity, they took it.
Petrovcic said that killing an animal is the least desirable part of his job.
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The cougar was found to be a younger male, just over one year old, said Petrovcic. It appeared healthy otherwise.
Petrovcic said that North Island Zone conservation officers have responded to a number of cougar calls this year.
The conservation officer service responded to a cougar incident on the trail network north of Jubilee Parkway on Sunday.
Petrovic said that Vancouver Island and the North Island in particular has a high cougar population density.
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