One Port Hardy resident believes a cougar may have beheaded his furry friend last night.
According to Eric Blacha, he leashed his male cat outside the front of the house around 8 p.m. yesterday, Oct. 22. Since then, Blacha could not find the cat’s whereabouts around Beaver Harbour trailer park. The incident occurred in the wake of recent cougar sightings, one of which ended with a resident’s chicken getting snatched by wildlife.
“I went to go check on him. I couldn’t find him or hear him and just kept checking on him,” he said. After a few hours passed, Blacha grew concerned for his white-furred pet. In an online post, he noted Cosmo was “gone all night which isn’t like him at all.”
In the following morning while Blacha’s mother, Kathleen Gillis, started her vehicle she spotted what may have been a cougar. Blacha then ventured out into the nearby woods to search for Cosmo.
In a phone interview, Blacha said he encountered a small hole, which could have been dug by the cougar. Unfortunately, Blacha did find the cat when he noticed “a clump of hair and kind of moved the dirt and sticks and pulled him out.”
“He was headless,” Blacha said.
After going back to his residence, Blacha “could see the cougar in front of the woods.” The cougar, he claimed, was nearly 10-feet in front of him.
Fort Rupert Elementary School recently released a warning, adding that students are not allowed to linger outside the school building, which is less than a kilometre away from where the incident occurred.
Conservation officers came to talk to Blacha about the incident early this morning. Jonathan Paquin, local conservation officer for the North Island, has since confirmed a cougar, which was located nearby Blacha’s residence, was in fact euthanized.
WildSafeBC stated that “if you encounter a cougar, keep calm. Make yourself look as large as possible and back away slowly, keeping the cougar in view, and allowing a clear exit for the cougar. Pick up children and small pets immediately. Never run or turn your back- sudden movements may provoke an attack.”
The organization also added that in the case of an aggressive cougar, “respond aggressively in all cases as cougars see you as a meal: keep eye contact, yell and make loud noises, and show your teeth.” WildSafeBC pointed out that, like the case of Cosmo, the cougar will often “pull debris over the carcass to keep off scavengers. The cougar will stay near a kill site, returning to it regularly until the prey is completely consumed.”
Residents are encouraged to report any dangerous wildlife sightings to conservation.
The North Island Gazette attempted to contact Conservation Officer Service for comment. Local conservations officers are investigating the matter but no confirmation was made yet on the incident. The Gazette will update the story once incident reports are made by conservation officers.