FILE PHOTO
Image Credit: Shutterstock
May 14, 2021 - 4:30 PM
Conservation officers are warning Kelowna residents to stay vigilant after a cougar was spotted in various neighbourhoods this week.
A cougar was sighted in the Knox Mountain, Magic Estates, Dilworth Mountain and Inkar Road areas , according to a B.C. Conservation Officer Service press release issued today May 14.
Kelowna cougar sightings are similar to past years and represent the area we live in, the conservation officer service said.
Cougars are normally nocturnal and typically prey on their available food source within the areas they live, the service said. This diet can include deer and Kelowna has a high urban deer population.
READ MORE: How the B.C Wildlife Park in Kamloops earned the trust of a cougar
A cougar’s ability to travel long distances occasionally brings these cats into seemingly inappropriate areas, even places densely settled by humans. Such appearances are almost always brief, with the animal moving along quickly in its search of a suitable permanent home, reads the release.
The cougar sighted several times over the past week is exhibiting normal, natural behaviour and has been assessed to have a low public safety risk.
Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare, to obtain cougar safety tips and cougar facts visit WildSafeB.C.'s website.
The British Columbia Ministry of Environment estimates there are roughly 7,000 cougars in B.C. Even though cougars are seldom seen, the public should be aware they are present and at rare times travel through rural residential areas.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2021