Cougar attack prompts tourist warning

TELEGRAPH COVE, British Columbia, Canada – Visitors to the quaint summer village at Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island are being warned to be extra vigilant after a cougar killed a small dog in a brazen attack on Canada Day.

According to The Province, Priscilla Palsway of Telegraph Cove Resort said a man reported that his Shih Tzu was snatched by a cougar late Monday night at a camp near Alder Bay.

The man had let his dog out and was standing about two feet away from a friend when a cougar suddenly ran between the pair, grabbed the dog and took off, said Palsway. The dog was never seen again, she said.

“He was pretty upset about it,” said Palsway. “I felt so bad for the dog.”

Although wildlife sightings are common in the area, Palsway said the incident is alarming as cougars typically don’t get too close to people.

“They’re usually more scared of you than you are scared of them,” she said. “I was kind of worried about that.”

Since the attack, she said signs have been put up warning visitors to keep their kids close and dogs on leash.

The Province also reports that in early June, in nearby Beaver Cove, a grizzly bear attacked and killed a guard dog in a shed at a sea soil plant.

“It actually ate the dog,” said Jeanne Kinnis of the Alert Bay Resort. “It wasn’t a nice thing.”

Although there haven’t been any recent wildlife sightings in her area, Kinnis said she always warns campers to take safety precautions against bears and cougars.

“Dogs, kids, anything. We do have to be careful,” she said. “We’re in their backyard.”

On Saturday, conservation officials destroyed a cougar in Kelowna near Black Mountain, according to media reports. The cougar was shot and killed in the backyard of a residence of Shaunna Road in the early morning hours.

Requests for comment from conservation officials were not immediately returned.

A conservation officer told Global News that the cougar had been recovering from a recent head injury, and that there had been complaints of a cougar targeting small animals before Saturday’s incident.