Conservation officers in the Boundary say they’ve received several reports of a cougar in the College Road and Valmar areas of Grand Forks.
“Based on reports sent to the [BC Conservation Officer Service] this cougar has only been observed during the night and at dawn and dusk and due to the amount of deer in the area this is typical behaviour for cougars,” said conservation officer Mark Walkosky in an email. “At this time we do not believe there is a public safety concern, however, it is very important that residents keep their pets close by and indoors when unsupervised to mitigate conflict between wildlife and pets.”
Walkosky said that cougars are also opportunistic hunters and recommended that pets be monitored closely and not left outside overnight. He added that cougar attacks on people are very rare and recommended that a person should never turn their back or make sudden movements when confronted by one of the big cats. Instead, remaining big and tall and keeping objects between the cougar a you is what is best. The COS asks that the public report any sightings or conflicts with wildlife to the RAPP Line at 1 877-952-7277. For more information on cougars and cougar safety please visit www.wildsafebc.com.