Hounds sniffed around at the entrance to Valleycliffe in pursuit of a cougar last week, to no avail.
On Wednesday (April 18) at 3 a.m., a resident reported seeing a cougar carrying a lifeless dog in its mouth. The sighting was at the intersection of Guilford and Valley Drive, metres away from Stawamus Elementary School.
Two conservation officers scouted the area to no avail before calling in a tracker with dogs. The fact the cougar may have killed a pet wasn't the catalyst for the search, said Sgt. Peter Busink of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. Cougars usually become protective of the area in which they hide their kill. If the cougar placed its food by the school or near a walking or biking trail, it could become a danger to the public, he said.
"We were unable to find the cougar or the kill," Busink said.
As a precaution, the District of Squamish closed the Stawamus River Dike trail and re-opened it on Monday (April 23).
On the weekend, there was an unconfirmed report of a cougar sighting at the Eaglewind apartments in downtown Squamish. On Saturday (April 21), mothers huddled with their children on a raised platform in the playground, as Squamish RCMP scoured the surrounding bush. No cougar was found.
There have been a number of cougar sightings in Squamish this year. In February, conservation officers shot a cougar that killed a dog in the backyard of a house on the Cheekye Reserve. Last month, officers were called out to the area around Mamquam Elementary School after teens encountered a cougar nearby.
Cougars are elusive animals, Busink said. They often keep out of people's sight. Asked if Squamish has a large cougar population, Busink said it was difficult to tell, but their population growth is usually cyclical.
"The one thing that is happening is our [hotline] is becoming more well-known," he said. "So we do get more reports."
Residents living near green belts should keep their pets inside at night, Busink noted, adding cougars are usually more active in the evening.
If you see a cougar in the Squamish call the conservation 24-hour hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
