Posted on 07/14/2006 6:03:54 AM PDT by Marius3188
Late last Thursday, one Lac la Hache resident had the fright of his life when he came face to face with a 175 lb., male cougar, said Conservation Officer Darcy MacPhee.
“Thursday night at 11 p.m., I received a call at home and a gentleman from Timothy Lake Road area called to advise me that he had just shot a cougar in self -defense,” MacPhee said.
“I attended the next morning and located a cougar approximately 30 metres from his house.”
The fatal encounter began earlier in the day when the man had been cutting down dead pine and noticed that his animals were acting strangely.
“He lives in a rural area, so he’s familiar with his animals letting him know that something’s around.”
MacPhee explained that later that day the man went to retrieve a power-saw he had left behind after cutting down the last tree of the day.
It was just before dark and he was a bit nervous because of his animals’ behaviour, so he took a firearm with him.
“He just walked a short distance from his house, saw the cougar and said it was ‘loping towards him’.”
He waited until it was very close and fired one shot and killed it.
MacPhee said the man described the event as an “almost surreal experience.”
“When I did investigate it, I looked at the distances involved, where he shot from and where the cougar was and all aspects of his story appeared very credible.”
The Wildlife Act allows everyone to protect themselves and their property from dangerous wildlife, but they are required to report any incidents.
Every year in B.C. people are injured by bears and cougars, but attacks are rare.
Cougars are very common in the Cariboo and it’s not unusual to have them cross people’s property.
MacPhee said the general advice on cougars is that they attack from behind, so if a person encounters one they should stand their ground, make themselves as big as possible, put their hands over their heads and yell.
“They are curious and they’re at the top of the food chain,” he said. “There are few animals they fear, including humans."
"When in danger...
or in doubt
...run in circles
Scream, and Shout!
> Duh.... What don't you get?
Duh... did he try scaring the cougar away? No. What don't you get?
I could have gone all day without that visual...
Rattlesnakes are not afraid of humans. They would prefer not to waste venom on something that they cannot eat, but they know no fear.
Well, apparently this cougar wasn't afraid or he wouldn't have kept coming. Sounds like the guy did what he needed to. I can't help but wonder if he didn't end up saving somebody's life.
[Every year in B.C. people are injured by bears and cougars, but attacks are rare.]
How does this happen, exactly. Do the cougars injur people by dropping lit cigarrettes and causing forrest fires? Do they run humans over in their SUVs? Oh, I know, they accidentilly bit humans while flossing their teeth.
LOL, actually in Canada a 'cougar' is an older gal who ranges from very unattractive to 'make an onion cry' unattractive, that preys on younger meat. Often found stalking prey in dive bars.
Some pretty funny posts here.
And that is hardly the fault of the animals...those games are inherently violent.
Statistics show, on the other hand, that there are no injuries at all from people engaging these aminals in a peaceable curling match.
Hmmmmm.. Not a cougar, thats for sure!
Love your tagline BTW.
Hmmmmm.. Not a cougar, thats for sure!I'm sure you can come up with something.
I was going to say, that may be good advice if you don't have a firearm. The fact is the man was in peril of this animal attacking him, he did the right thing regardless of how you feel about it. I mean would you feel better if the man had tried to do what you say he should have done and ended up cougar food? If I were standing in his shoes, I would have done the exact same thing, no hesitation.
For whatever reason my witty/creative side is running a little slow at the moment......
A 'Raguoc' perhaps? Thats Cougar backwards (my favorite 'talent')
By an American none-the-less!
One night, some friends and I were stalked by a pair of them that wouldn't leave us alone. Ughhh...(shivers) One was missing both front teeth, both were obese, and their wardrobes were far too revealing!
My buddies back home love the term 'cougar'!
EXACTLY, very well said.
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