A team of specialized cougar hounds came to town, Dec. 15, in an effort to track, capture, collar and relocate the two cougars that have been skulking around the townsite the past few weeks.
The dogs, which are commonly used for similar operations in communities throughout the province, are trained to catch the scent of a cougar and chase the predator down, ultimately forcing it into a tree. That allows wildlife management personnel to tranquilize the animals, cage them and transport them to another area of the park.
The cougars, which have been spotted near the dog park on Sleepy Hollow Road, next to the old Jasper Junior/Senior High School site, as well as near the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre, are believed to be two juvenile animals, recently relinquished from their mother’s care.
Steve Malcolm, Jasper’s human wildlife conflict specialist, said that’s likely why we’re seeing so much of them.
“We have two to four adult cougars that have been working just outside of the community for 20 years now and we really haven’t had any problems—we know they’re there, sometimes they kill just on the boundary of the community, but they’re pretty elusive and pretty invisible. But, these guys—because they’re pretty young and inexperienced—they’re obviously being seen by lots of people.”
Malcolm speculates that the reason they’re hanging around the townsite is that it provides for an easy hunting ground, as the animals find their stride as individual hunters, without the assistance of their mother.
“I think what’s happened is they’ve found this sort of bonus community where they can have lots of food, and they’re just slowly trying to figure out how to hunt them.”
Cougars prey on elk and deer and within the Jasper townsite there are copious numbers of both.
Malcolm said, because both cougars—which are often seen together—are fixated on their natural prey and haven’t shown any risk to people or pets, Parks Canada’s plan is to remove them from the townsite and relocate them to another area of the park.
“The only really grievous error that they’re making is they realize a lot of their prey is right in the heart of this community and they don’t really have this uncomfortable relationship with people yet,” he said, explaining that that’s why Parks hasn’t had a more aggressive management approach.
But, had these cougars shown aggression toward people, it would have been a different story.
“If I had these two cougars approaching people and stalking them and being aggressive towards them and killing dogs while on leash, then we’d have no choice [but to euthanize them], but these guys seem to have just landed in a bad opportunity and we’re going to try and manage it.”
The dogs were out on Dec. 16. Malcolm said he wouldn’t be surprised if the entire community heard them, as cougar hounds are trained to be incredibly noisy: it’s through their barking and pursuit that they put cougars on the defensive and ultimately get them up a tree.
Once the cougars are captured, Malcolm said Parks employees will take a good look at them to determine whether they are in fact part of a dispersing juvenile group.
“We really need to see what we’re dealing with,” he said, noting that if it’s an unhealthy mature male, Parks will have to handle the situation differently.
“If it’s a young teenager group that doesn’t know better, we’ll teach them and try to get a little bit better behaviour out of them. If it’s an older cat that’s physically got some problems or maybe he’s injured or sick, then that just changes the whole situation significantly.
“Right now, from the sightings that we’ve had, it doesn’t sound like it’s an injured animal, but you never know until you get your hands on them.”
Managing wildlife is a balancing act, explained Malcolm. Parks has to do what’s right for both the animal and the community, but ultimately public safety has to come first.
To ensure the public’s safety, as well as the safety of these cougars, Parks is asking the community to be extra conscientious.
Malcolm noted that we know cougars are most active during dawn and dusk, so he asked that the community minimize their outdoor excursions during those times.
“There’s no sense going for a jog in a remote area on a really dark evening, in an area where you’re by yourself and you’ve got your headphones on and a dog off leash.
“It’s trying to minimize the consequences to the cat by not creating that situation and minimizing the risk to the person that’s out there.”
If you do see a cougar, Parks encourages you to report your sighting to Jasper Dispatch at 780-852-6155.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
