Workers at Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island are warning visitors to the quaint summer village to be extra vigilant about wildlife after a brazen cougar attack that killed a small dog on Canada Day.
Priscilla Palsway of Telegraph Cove Resort, about 210 kilometres northwest of Campbell River, said a man reported that his shih tzu was snatched by a cougar late Monday 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,” Palsway said. “I felt so bad for the dog.”
Although wildlife sightings are common in the area, Palsway said the incident is alarming because 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 children close and dogs on leash.
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.
To report wildlife that poses a risk to public safety, call the B.C. Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277
