KANANASKIS – A cougar that attacked a dog in Kananaskis Country earlier this week is being left alone.
While attacks on humans are rare, Alberta Parks conservation officers say the attack on the 12-year-old dog near Mount Kidd RV Park was somewhat expected behaviour for a sub-adult cougar that saw the 80-pound mixed-breed pet as prey.
“It’s not a terribly unusual reaction from a cougar to see an animal of that size as a prey species,” said conservation officer Nick Dykshoorn.
“It’s obviously concerning that it happened so close to people.”
The drama began around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday (March 14) as Dawn Graham was walking her aging dog, Maddi, on a retractable leash near the Mount Kidd residence loop.
Graham did not see the cougar until it was too late.
“The cougar came out of the bush, pounced on the dog, and the dog ended up receiving a couple of puncture wounds on the side of its face, but nothing too serious,” Dykshoorn.
“The lady yelled and shouted and jumped at the cougar. She did not actually grab the cougar, but she was pretty close to it. The cougar looked at her and almost immediately retreated because of her actions.”
After the wild cat fled, Graham attended to her injured dog, walked home and reported the incident.
Conservation officers found cougar tracks in the area, and based on the size of its prints, determined it was likely a smaller, sub-adult wild cat.
Dykshoorn said conflicts with people and dogs often involve younger, sub-adult cougars.
“When they get kicked loose from mom, it’s definitely a high-risk time in the cougar’s life, because they have to find their own territory and figure out this whole hunting thing on their own,” he said.
“Once they get to adulthood, unless they get an injury or something like that, they’ve typically figured out the ways of the world and what their favourite prey species is.”
As a precaution, in case the cougar is still in the area, Alberta Parks has implemented a closure for the Bill Milne Trail from Mount Kidd residence south to Highway 40 junction.
In addition, there’s a warning across a larger area including Mount Kidd Residence, Mount Kidd RV Park and the Bill Milne trail from the Kananaskis Golf Course to Wedge Pond.
For now, Dykshoorn said the plan is to leave the cougar alone.
“If it’s a one-off, that will be it and we’ll keep the warning in for a while and keep our eyes on the area a bit more,” he said.
“If we get a second occurrence, or something else happens, we’ll certainly have to reconsider and assess.”
To avoid a cougar encounter, people are encouraged to travel in groups, make lots of noise, and leave the area if you see or smell a dead animal that a cougar may be feeding on.
The likelihood of a cougar encounter can also be reduced by avoiding use of trails at dawn and dusk and into the night, and by not walking their dogs off-leash, as dogs can attract cougars.
Dykshoorn said carrying bear spray year-round is also important.
“We stress it so much in the summer, but when you’re going out in this area we know there’s a healthy cougar population,” he said.
“Instances like this do happen occasionally and so it’s not a bad idea to always have bear spray. It works on angry ungulates and cougars and grizzly bears.”
