Students kept indoors following unconfirmed Nanaimo cougar sighting

A report of a cougar in a Nanaimo park prompted two nearby schools to keep students indoors Monday morning.

Ecole Hammond Bay and Frank J. Ney elementary schools entered shelter-in-place procedures, where students continued with regular classroom activities but remained inside.

Dale Burgos, the spokesman for the Nanaimo School District, said children remained indoors for about an hour after the schools were notified of the report of a sighting in Neck Point Park,adjacent to EcoleHammond Bay in north Nanaimo.

"People know the drill," Burgos said.

More frequent cougar sightings tend to be reported in north Nanaimo than other areas, and parents make sure their children learnhow to respond if they see one,he said."We get a few every school year, maybe half a dozen."

Conservation officer Troy Sterling, who responded to the unconfirmed sighting, said hefound no evidenceofa cougar in the rocky area of the park where it was reported.

Sightings more common in fall, winter

Sterling said cougars are active at this time of year, and sightings in fall and winter aremore common than in the summer months.

He said anyone who wants information on how to respond if they encounter a cougar or other large predator can visit the WildsafeBC website.

Meanwhile, if you see bear or cougar in a residential area, the conservation service recommends calling the provincialRAPPhotlinefor predator and poacher reports at 1-877-952-7277.