Cougars showed unusual interest in cyclists and children last week, alarming recreational area users in three separate incidences.
On Wednesday (June 3) at 9:30 p.m., a couple cycling the Farside Trail in Valleycliffe's Crumpit Woods had to call for help when a cougar blocked their path during a half-hour "stand-off," according to a message posted on the Squamish Off Road Cycling Association (SORCA) website by the residents who drove to the area to save the couple.
"The cougar sat in the crouched position on the gravel pad between the car park and trailhead staring at [them] with head low, hind raised, and tail flicking aggressively while they stood on the concrete blocks yelling at it," wrote Tammy Shore. "It remained there in that stance until I drove up in my car."
Shore went on to warn trail users not to ride in the area alone.
Conservation officer Byron Andres confirmed three reports of cougars approaching people, including an incident on Friday (June 5) at Evans Lake in Paradise Valley that involved children.
"This is an animal that exposed itself to a group of people, including children, and then was scared away but then came back," said Andres. "So that's not something we would consider normal behaviour for a cat. They're supposed to be in the woods hiding where no one ever sees them or hears from them."
The third sighting occurred at Alice Lake's Jack's Trail, making it "highly unlikely" the incidents involve the same cat, said Andres, adding that a trap has been set in the area of the trail.
The behaviour indicates the cougars may be experiencing circumstances, such as food stress, that cause them to ignore their own caution warnings, said Andres.
"That's not necessarily to say that it was looking at people or children as a source of prey," he added. "And we've never had an incident where a cat has actually attacked someone. But we have had an incident where a cat will chase or appear to chase someone on a bike, which is obviously disconcerting for a bike rider. It may or may not actually be a dangerous situation, but it's certainly not something that we take lightly."
Andres said there's no evidence yet to suggest more cougars are in the area, however anecdotally, more calls are coming in compared to past years, and the reasons why remain a mystery.
"That could be because there are more cats, or that cats are less afraid of people or that there's just more people out there seeing cats. We're coming up on the Test of Metal, so there's a lot more people on their bikes in the woods right now."
The conservation office is not warning people to stay away from recreational areas, however Andres said people should be aware they're in cougar country and get educated on how to deal with their behaviour.
