The Whitecourt Cougar Incident

Demonical

Demonical

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Whitecourt, Alberta
The wife of a co-worker was walking with another lady, just southeast of Whitecourt Monday night. The 2 ladies had a Jack Russell terrier and a German Shepherd/Collie cross, both on leashes.

A cougar suddenly ran out of the bush and grabbed the Jack Russell and ran back into the timber with it. The ladies were shocked and the girl leading the Shepherd cross threw her hands up in shock and the Shepherd yanked the leash from her hand and raced into the trees after the cougar.
A brief fight/standoff between the cougar and Shepherd ensued and the cougar released the Jack Russell terrier, then both dogs came streaking out of the bush back to the women, who naturally got the hell out of there.

No question the courage of the Shepherd saved the life of the terrier. It was chewed up a bit and spent the night at the Vet. Last I heard it is expected to recover.

Fish & Wildlife response is that there are lot's of cougar sightings in that area and the cougar was just being a cougar...
 
Man oh man, you gotta be careful and be prepared. Knowing how to act in such incidences could save your life!!! Sounds like that shepard is one brave dog!!! T-bone for the dog for supper is my vote!!!

Cheers
Jay
 
Mike Oxbig said:
Wow that's nuts! It must've been awefull hungry to run up to two humans like that and steal from them.:eek:
Mike
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There is a gent who was pulling his kids around on a sled behind his snowmobile in Sundre. Their family dog was running right by the kids when a cougar burst out and killed the dog right there. Can you imagine the fear of seeing that happen right beside your kids!

These cats are killing machines, it's all they know.

I would sooner find a bear following me anyday than a cougar.

Glad to hear everyone is alright.
 
Guys i work with that have lived in the foothills/mountain regions all their lives will shoot a cougar on sight license or no license. They say they are not to be trusted within 100 yards of you.
 
Win94 said:
Guys i work with that have lived in the foothills/mountain regions all their lives will shoot a cougar on sight license or no license. They say they are not to be trusted within 100 yards of you.
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I have family in Edson (and Hinton). Apparently cougar are becoming a real problem quite suddenly over the last few years; pets and farm dogs are going 'missing' a lot.
 
Noel said:
These cats are killing machines, it's all they know.
I would sooner find a bear following me anyday than a cougar.
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I agree with Noel on this one. A cougar is the only animal that worries me when I'm out hiking alone in their territory. I'm glad no one got hurt.

George
 
Interesting thread Demo... We have had a spate of Cougar sightings in Ontario recently. Conveniently the MNR has denied/ignored the existence of this animal in Ontario, although it is listed on the Provinces Endangered Species List.
According to a recent article in Outdoor Canada the province has mistakenly listed the Cougar on the endangered list as the wrong species of cougar (felis concolor couguar) which has been extinct in North America for 10,000 years! The cougar we see in North America is actually (Puma Concolor) which repopulated from South America.:confused:
According to Stuart Kenn from the Ontario Puma Foundation, This "legal definition" could be challenged in court and if someone was to shoot one they could probably get away with it! I am not recommending that anyone shoot a cougar... except in defense of life or property!:shotgun:
Dogs are considered property in Canada.
Many of my acquaintances in the hunting/trapping community have told me that they would shoot one on sight!:eek:
 
Interesting Bigredd, about 10 or 15 years ago, there were some hush hush releases of cougars in Saskatchewan, these critters slowly encrouched eastward.
The Manitoba DNR, upon hearing reports from local farmers/cattleman kept denying this fact, just to try to hide this fact from public disclosure....Obviously these cats are successful in re-introduction.
 
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BIGREDD said:
Many of my acquaintances in the hunting/trapping community have told me that they would shoot one on sight!:eek:
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They're right. Usually when you see the cougar it's already too late to think about animal protection and ethics.
 
I know one cougar for sure lives in th bush at the end of the orchard my house backs onto, always fresh kills in a couple of spots, and paw prints like my hand. Not to mention last year bow hunting in December, alone, only to find fresh? Cougar tracks on top of fresh deer tracks, as the deer evaded me, the cougar hunted both of us, I think the deer lost eventually.

I am glad that the ladies in the story are OK, and the dogs. Sure would suck if we could legally pack handguns in the bush.:D
 
I have never seen a cougar while walking around in the bush, but they have seen me. No question about it.

I remember seeing a show on TV where a kid was snatched and killed by a cougar as a family was on vacation. Later the parenets developed thier pictures, in one of the pictures you could see a cougar crouching in a pounce position. The picture was taken some distance from where the cougar had actualy attacked. It was hunting them.
 
Noel said:
There is a gent who was pulling his kids around on a sled behind his snowmobile in Sundre. Their family dog was running right by the kids when a cougar burst out and killed the dog right there. Can you imagine the fear of seeing that happen right beside your kids!

These cats are killing machines, it's all they know.

I would sooner find a bear following me anyday than a cougar.

Glad to hear everyone is alright.
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I met a couple that were hiking around Canmore with their kids and dog. A cougar ran up and grabbed their pet(####TYBIGION or some similar companion breed) climbed a tree and proceeded to kill and eat the family pet in front of them.
 
I don't go unarmed while bushwhacking the Macleod, Embarass, or Gregg rivers for trout. Way too many cougar and bear sightings to not take those kind of precautions. I relish seeing those animals but i like those sightings on my terms especially with a rugrat in tow.
 
We've had the local police department tell us several times (voicemail thing we get every month or so) to be aware of cougars in the area, a horse and cow were injured and several domestic pets killed. This is 11k south of Saskatoon.
 
Bigredd, if I'm not mistaken, the MNR finally "confirmed" the existance of cougars in southern Ont. They did some DNA tests on some fecal matter and it was confirmed to be Cougar poop. I believe it was in the Port Colbourne area but I'm not sure. I can't remember where I read either, I think the London Free Press had a story on it.
 
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