A recent cougar complaint in the Cottonwood Flats area, near Telkwa, does not have enough evidence to confirm the cat was in the area.
“With a little bit of digging, we found that nobody has actually seen it,” explains Conservation Officer Blake Day.
“There were tracks in an individual’s front yard that he’d believed to be cougar tracks. Photos of these tracks were forwarded to myself and with the condition of the snow and the shape of the tracks, it’s hard to actually substantiate whether or not we’ve got a cougar.”
Cougars are an uncommon site, says Day, as the animal generally tends to stay as secluded as possible.
This is not always the case, however, and in case you find yourself face to face with the big cat, there are some things you should make sure to do and some things to make sure you never do.
“Make sure that you face it and make yourself look as big as possible; you don’t want to run, you back away,” he says.
“Running away from a cougar is probably the worst thing you can do. So face it, make yourself look big, make lots of noise, and back away slowly.”
Any confirmed cougar sitings are being asked to be reported to the BC RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.