Cougar destroyed in Summerland

[laredo318]

http://www.globalnews.ca/cougar+destroyed+in+summerland/6442821147/story.html


The coyotes are fairly common. The bears show up once-in-a-while. But a cougar, never before, until Friday morning.

That's when Summerland resident, Don Gemmell, looked onto the deck of his house where an adult cougar was enjoying a bit of a rest.

"When I heard the dog barking, I looked out window, the cat was sitting on the deck, sitting comfortably like a house cat," says Gemmell.

It was as calm as could be.

"So it's very surprising to see an animal like that so close to town, or in town really, shows you we live on the edge of nature and wildlife."

Sitting atop the food chain, cougars are highly efficient killers, but the big cat wasn't in a predatory mood. So Gemmell snapped some photos.

"I just peeked around the corner and snapped it and then headed back for the door."

Then he called a conservation officer.

The cougar walked down a fence line and disappeared into bushes.

Neighbour, Angie Heckford, watched as the conservation officer tracked the cat.

"Not three seconds later it jumped six feet in the air, pretty much over top of him, hit the deer fence. The CO had a rifle over his shoulder and had to scramble to get his gun. Unfortunately he shot it."

And that upsets some people in the neighbourhood.

"I think that's terrible. I think they should have relocated it,” says Sue George. “It hasn't done anything wrong."

But Don Gemmell thinks the CO did what he had to.

"It came out of the bush at close range to the CO. He really didn't have any alternative but to shoot it."

Gemmell says the adult cougar may have been eyeing his neighbour's goats.



Read it on Global News: Global News | Cougar destroyed in Summerland (http://www.globalnews.ca/cougar+destroyed+in+summerland/6442821147/story.html#ixzz2Mguh5Ip9)

[Lionhill]

Nice kitty.


http://www.globalnews.ca/uploadedImages/CHBC_News/News/cougar3.jpg?size=sw380nws

[Mauser98]

According to the news yesterday, when they did a necropsy, they found a stomach full of dog and cat.

Good for the CO. Kill it before it developed a taste for children.

[adriaticum]

Another reason why it's good to have a dog or two :)

[houndogger]

Interested to hear gcreeks response...

[goatdancer]

If you live in critter country you gotta expect to see them around from time to time. By the way, that is a beautiful cat.

[Sofa King]

the neighbour has goats in his backyard right below there.
seems like the cat was resting and eyeing his next meal up.

[LBM]

To bad waste of another beautiful looking cat.

[boxhitch]

But a cougar, never before, until Friday morningIf people really knew the truth ............

[houndsman]

Not sure what's going on with the big cats theas days but in the last 10 days I have had 9 problem Cougar calls .Yesterday there was a cat hanging around a daycare center.The day before at a Hotel. Two days befor that Two different cats near school grounds & on & on.Its tuff when thay are on privit property & I cant get permission from the land owner to chase the cat.I have to walk away.There was a big tom hanging around the school in celista a few day ago .We found a smoking hot track two roads east of the school & I couldn't get ahold of the land owner .My dogs were doing back flips on there leads ,I had to put them back in there box & go home.
Over the past two years This cat has killed a pile of sheep,goates, dogs & other critters & nothing is being done about it.

[Jagermeister]

Not sure what's going on with the big cats theas days but in the last 10 days I have had 9 problem Cougar calls .Yesterday there was a cat hanging around a daycare center.The day before at a Hotel. Two days befor that Two different cats near school grounds & on & on.Its tuff when thay are on privit property & I cant get permission from the land owner to chase the cat.I have to walk away.There was a big tom hanging around the school in celista a few day ago .We found a smoking hot track two roads east of the school & I couldn't get ahold of the land owner .My dogs were doing back flips on there leads ,I had to put them back in there box & go home.
Over the past two years This cat has killed a pile of sheep,goates, dogs & other critters & nothing is being done about it.
Some folks just don't see large cats as a problem until they endure a personal loss, especially that bird counting north shore crew.

[Mr. Dean]

Cougars should not be seen - That IS their nature.
When you're finding them lounging on a deck, posing for photo sessions,,,, something is wrong big time.

[Walksalot]

There was a lady interviewed who felt the cat should have been relocated instead if being killed. I would be interesting to see if her opinion would change when the cat was standing a meter away from her.

[laredo318]

There was a lady interviewed who felt the cat should have been relocated instead if being killed. I would be interesting to see if her opinion would change when the cat was standing a meter away from her.

With her fluffy dog or cat in it's jaws......

[momandme]

What's the deal recently with cougars that kill dogs? It used to be just housecats they were eating but now they seem to have taken a fancy to dogs. The first time I'd ever owned a small dog a cougar took it, along with several others in the neighbourhood. Do more rural people have small dogs maybe? altho a Brittany here was lost to a cat. There's no shortage of deer and bunnies. Maybe I should put green apple spray on my dogs :???:

[Muliechaser]

Thats my step father in laws . The cat jumped from the back bank onto the top deck . Before that picture was taken
It seemed to be confused and seemed to be trying to find a way off the deck after it realized it didnt want to be there.

Then it just laid down and he popped out the door Nd snapped a picture. 10 feet away.
The co was called he showed up. And tried to push the cat back around to jump off onto
The close.hillside around back instead it jumped off and ran down the hill into a clump of bushes.

When the co went down to see if it was still there. It jumoed out of the bushes towards him which
Ended the cats life. She was well fed and to old to have anymore kittens. Old and cenile.

I love how ppl say it should have been relocated. When they dont know anything about the cats true
Behavour.

[gcreek]

Interested to hear gcreeks response...

If it is true that he was carrying his rifle over his shoulder in that situation he is lucky that things turned out the way they did. Other than trying to scare it unsuccessfully back into the "wilderness", ( how far is that from Summerland? )
the CO did exactly what he should have. It seems that there is no shortage of urban cats this year, that leads me to believe the rural population is healthy also.

Good on him.

[Muliechaser]

about a k from the summerland golf course. Houses are backed with a huge mountain range. Lots of bears also see them almost everytime im put there



If it is true that he was carrying his rifle over his shoulder in that situation he is lucky that things turned out the way they did. Other than trying to scare it unsuccessfully back into the "wilderness", ( how far is that from Summerland? )
the CO did exactly what he should have. It seems that there is no shortage of urban cats this year, that leads me to believe the rural population is healthy also.

Good on him.

[lorneparker1]

The more i see pictures of cats, the more i dont want to kill one. I would love to run them and take pics though.

Lorne

[tracker]

. It seems that there is no shortage of urban cats this year, that leads me to believe the rural population is healthy also.

Good on him.[/QUOTE]


yes it does seem that all the cats are in town,just like the big bucks, as for the rural population of cougar being healthy is not true. I cat hunt in the south okanagan with a couple other local houndsman,they have been chasing cats for over 25 years and they have never seen such poor cat hunting around these parts. Just because a couple cougar show up around town does not mean there population is strong and healthy, good to see the CO wacked that problem cat,it was not the first time that cat was seen..

[Downwind]

yes it does seem that all the cats are in town,just like the big bucks, as for the rural population of cougar being healthy is not true. I cat hunt in the south okanagan with a couple other local houndsman,they have been chasing cats for over 25 years and they have never seen such poor cat hunting around these parts. Just because a couple cougar show up around town does not mean there population is strong and healthy, good to see the CO wacked that problem cat,it was not the first time that cat was seen..

That is why we are seeing more cats in towns. Supply and demand. If there is a large population of deer then that's going to attract the predators. Throw on top of that the buffet of kitty cats and puppy dogs and it makes sense.