Foothills cougars preying on pets

Several close encounters with cougars in the Priddis area have residents on edge, prompting wildlife officials to offer some tips for dealing with wildlife.

In recent months, Fish and Wildlife officers have responded to several calls related to the big cats.

Brendan Cox, a spokesman for Alberta Fish and Wildlife, said it is important for people to report encounters with cougars, to allow officers to appropriately deal with the situations.

Cox said one such report led to officers trapping and putting down a cougar that preyed on a goat, and another in which a cougar preyed on a miniature horse.

In another case, a resident reported that a cougar had attacked a dog.

“The dog, luckily, was not harmed,” said Cox, adding they had a fourth report of a cougar being on someone’s back deck.

Although there have been no sightings since Oct. 23, he encouraged residents to report any further incidents to provincial Fish and Wildlife officers through the Report-A-Poacher hotline (1-800-642-3800).

Cox also noted there are also precautions people can take to avoid conflicts with wildlife.

“The main thing that officers are encouraging people to do is to reduce all of the attractants on their property,” he said, noting a salt lick put out to feed deer can attract cougars because they will prey on the deer.

In addition, he suggested residents put their garbage out on the morning of pickup rather than the night before.

Residents might also consider installing motion-activated lights to scare off cougars and reducing any dense brush where cougars can hide.

“If there is an animal coming to your property, it’s because there’s food or shelter for it,” said Cox. “If you reduce those things, the likelihood of those things continuing would be much decreased.”