Bears aren’t the only animals conservation officers are warning about after two cougars had to be killed for exhibiting abnormal behaviour in the Chelsea Park neighbourhood of Port Coquitlam Thursday.
The Conservation Officer Service began receiving calls Thursday morning after a dog was attacked and follow up calls later in the day about two juvenile female cougars that were hanging around the area.
Chyles Sutherland takes Bella for a walk in Chelsea Park off Coast Meridian Road in Port Coquitlam Friday, near where two cougars were killed after they wouldn’t leave the neighborhood and had attacked a dog, stalked a conservation officer, and were suspected of killing cats. (Photograph by DIANE STRANDBERG)
“They shouldn’t be lingering around in such an urban area,” said Sgt. Todd Hunter who told the Tri-City News that one officer attended and found evidence of the cougars prettying on cats and two more officers arrived, as well as Coquitlam RCMP.
The animals are usually loners who like to keep hidden but were easy to find mid-day around 4 p.m., unusual behaviour for the big cats.
Related: Mama bear used to finding food in residential area killed by conservation officers
One cougar was destroyed for stalking a conservation officer and the second animal was destroyed a short time later.
The CO service will continue to monitor the area — which is located near a children’s playground and a green belt — to ensure there is no mother cougar but Hunter said the behavior exhibited by the two 14-month old cougars indicates they were on their own.
Hunter said people living near green belts should keep their cats indoors and their dogs on a leash because they might be considered prey by large animals such as cougars. As well, attractants such as food waste will not only lure bears but also rats and raccoons that could be food for prey animals.
“If you have your home and you’re attracting all sorts of critters around that are prey, what will show up eventually is the apex predator that will pick these things up,” Hunter told the Tri-City News.
“It’s imperative to arm yourself with knowledge and appreciation for wildlife, and do what ever you can.”
He said the cougars were small, just 30 pounds, but could still attack a larger animal or even a child.
“Those claws they have are built by nature to kill,” Hunter warned.
Chyles Sutherland, who was walking his dog, Bella, at the park Friday morning said the cougars were the talk of the neighborhood, and he thinks he saw one of them near Coast Meridian Road a few months ago.
But Sutherland was still disappointed they had to be shot, even though they were considered to be a threat to pets and people in the area.
“It could have been a coyote that ate those cats,” he told the Tri-City News.
