Lions And Tigers And.....Cougars! Oh My!
I'm not afraid of coming upon a black bear, or a bobcat, or a coyote in my travels. I figure if I'm smart and do what experts say to do, I'll come out of the encounter with little more than a racing heart.
Cougars are a whole different story.
Our neighbor told me that a cougar was sighted in a backyard five houses away from ours. There have been sightings in Coquitlam as well. The big cats are hungry and as we take away their natural hunting grounds, they are taking away our false sense of security.
When we moved from Vancouver to the wilds of Maple Ridge, I didn't realize just how "wild" it really is out here. We had a fence erected as soon as we could to keep our dogs safe.
Yeah, 'k. Safe? Not so much. A six foot fence isn't much protection against a bear with a brain, and certainly not against a cougar. Those cats mean business. They rely on silence and stealth, and once they grab their prey by the back of the neck, it's game over.
Apparently cougar attacks on humans are rare, but the most vulnerable are under 16. If they can't find wild prey, they'll eat pets as hourves dourves and continue looking for a llama, or a horse, cow or sheep as the main course.
Cougars are also territorial, so now that this one has been seen in the neighborhood, it's very likely it will be spotted again. Oh good. The bear sitting on or front lawn this summer wasn't enough.
The female cougar has a distinct scream that has been described as "nerve-wracking, demonic, terror-striking and a trilling wail". How nice that this could be the final sound someone were to hear.
No wonder one of the many other names for "cougar" is "Indian Devil".
Cougars are a whole different story.
Our neighbor told me that a cougar was sighted in a backyard five houses away from ours. There have been sightings in Coquitlam as well. The big cats are hungry and as we take away their natural hunting grounds, they are taking away our false sense of security.
When we moved from Vancouver to the wilds of Maple Ridge, I didn't realize just how "wild" it really is out here. We had a fence erected as soon as we could to keep our dogs safe.
Yeah, 'k. Safe? Not so much. A six foot fence isn't much protection against a bear with a brain, and certainly not against a cougar. Those cats mean business. They rely on silence and stealth, and once they grab their prey by the back of the neck, it's game over.
Apparently cougar attacks on humans are rare, but the most vulnerable are under 16. If they can't find wild prey, they'll eat pets as hourves dourves and continue looking for a llama, or a horse, cow or sheep as the main course.
Cougars are also territorial, so now that this one has been seen in the neighborhood, it's very likely it will be spotted again. Oh good. The bear sitting on or front lawn this summer wasn't enough.
The female cougar has a distinct scream that has been described as "nerve-wracking, demonic, terror-striking and a trilling wail". How nice that this could be the final sound someone were to hear.
No wonder one of the many other names for "cougar" is "Indian Devil".
posted by Alphamutt at 6:06 PM
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