BANFF – A female cougar that died in the late stages of recovery during a drugging procedure to fit her with a tracking collar had a pre-existing health condition.
While a necropsy determined the adult wild cat’s cause of death was acute respiratory failure, Parks Canada officials say additional testing by an independent diagnostic lab in Calgary found the animal had a pre-existing lung condition.
“It’s not to say the cougar was terminally ill or anything like that, but that condition probably contributed to its susceptibility to this situation,” said Bill Hunt, resource conservation manager for Banff National Park.
In addition, when the wildlife team went to set up the trap to catch this adult cougar on Tunnel Mountain on Jan. 22 in order to track and monitor her, they found the carcass of her five to six-month-old cougar kitten.
A necropsy determined the 50-pound cougar kitten died of natural causes.
At first it was suspected the kitten may have been killed by an adult male cougar in the area, but Hunt said the necropsy revealed the kitten had a broken femur and perforated stomach lining.
“It had ingested something sharp and then somehow – either from sustaining an impact or because of the way it entered the gut – it caused a hole in the stomach wall that caused an infection,” he said.
“There was nothing found in the stomach at that time that would be the conspicuous culprit, but obviously it ingested something really sharp… a broken bone or something like that.”
The initial decision to trap the adult cougar was based on ongoing elevated cougar activity in and around the Banff townsite throughout January, including sightings of wild cats in broad daylight and inside town boundaries.
Shortly before dusk on Jan. 22, wildlife staff captured, immobilized and fitted the female cougar with a radio collar – and the animal appeared to be in good condition.
Throughout the handling procedure, the wildlife team including an on-staff wildlife veterinarian, monitored the five- to seven-year-old cougar’s vital signs, which appeared strong.
Unfortunately, Hunt said the cougar suddenly stopped breathing in the late stages of recovering from the anesthetic.
“At the time, one of our staff made the risk assessment to jump in the trap and try and assess and reposition her to reopen her airway, but unfortunately, she had already died,” Hunt said.
According to Hunt, acute respiratory failure could indicate the cougar ended up shifting her positioning as she was regaining consciousness to a position that wasn’t conducive to keeping her airway open.
“Once you’ve done that, if you aspirate or bring up some vomit, which is not uncommon for something to vomit when it’s coming out of a drug, you can then aspirate on that,” he said. “You can get all of the stomach acids into your lungs and it causes death through suffocation basically.”
As part of the necropsy following the cougar’s death, the Parks Canada wildlife veterinarian gathered tissue samples to send to an independent veterinarian diagnostic lab for further testing.
“They determined that the cougar had a pre-existing lung condition,” Hunt said.
“That would have been something the cougar had gone through earlier in its life, or had some sort of chronic lung condition, so the lung tissue wasn’t healthy.”
Following the unexpected death of the adult cougar during its capture and handling, Parks Canada de-briefed the situation to see if anything could have been done differently.
They believe the decision to trap the cougar was the right one, noting this animal had been spending time inside town boundaries where wary cougars typically wouldn’t venture.
“We did want to get a collar on her and understand where she was hunting, where she was spending her time, how often she was coming into town,” Hunt said.
“With the tools we had of relying on public sightings or the odd camera image, you don’t get the full picture that way.”
In an effort to put less stress on the female cougar, the team decided against the use of cougar hounds to capture her, particularly because she had a kitten.
Based on discussions with other cougar specialists, Hunt said it was agreed the trap was the best way to go.
“If she had been pursued by cougar hounds, it’s a lot more stress, and certainly with that lung condition, could have put her at immediate risk,” he said.
“One of the discussions we had is that using the trapping technique in the future is a first effort when we are able to do so.”
Use of the immobilization drugs were also part of the followup investigation, which indicated the appropriate type of drugs were in fact used.
Hunt said the right dose based on the estimated body weight of the cougar was also administered.
“In this case, the team guessed her weight to mix the drugs within five pounds, which is incredibly accurate,” he said, noting the cat was 95 pounds and the team estimated she weighed 100 pounds.
“Everything in terms of animal handling and animal care was exemplary.”
Meanwhile, Hunt said there were at least four reported cougar sightings last week, including one by the Bow Falls and another by Central Park in downtown Banff.
“None of those we’ve been able to confirm with track evidence or anything,” he said.
“But there’s still definitely cougar activity. We know we have the large male and we believe there’s one other cougar in the area we’ve seen on cameras.”
As a result, a cougar closure that went into effect on Jan. 25 remains in effect east of the Banff townsite, including an area around Tunnel Mountain and east to the Hoodoo trailhead.
The intent of this closure is to provide secure habitat for cougars hunting in the area during the winter months in an effort to maintain the naturally wary behaviour of these secretive predators.
“We hope that’s offering cougars a bit of reprieve from the high levels of human use,” Hunt said.
“With COVID, a lot of people are getting out hiking close to town so this closure gives them a little bit of secure area.”
To avoid a cougar encounter:
• Travel in groups and keep everyone together.
• Be especially cautious when travelling during dawn and dusk, when wildlife is most active.
• Travel slowly if you are cycling or jogging, remain alert and do not wear ear buds.
• Make noise to alert a cougar or other potentially dangerous wildlife to your presence.
• Carry bear spray in an easily accessible location and know how to use it.
• Keep dogs on a leash at all times as legally required, and walk your dog during daylight hours if possible.
• Leave the area if you see or smell a dead animal.
• Never approach, entice or feed wildlife.
If you see a cougar:
• Do not approach the animal.
• Face the cougar, and retreat slowly – do not run or play dead.
• Try to appear bigger by holding your arms or an object above your head.
• Immediately pick up small children.
• Be aggressive. Shout, wave a stick or throw rocks to deter an attack.
• Report any sightings immediately to Banff National Park dispatch at 403-762-1470.
