Cougar numbers and encounters on the rise in Alberta: ecology expert

Cougar numbers in Alberta are on the rise but that doesn't mean people need to be afraid, says anecology expert.

Last week, a cougar was shot and killed after it took up residence in a west Edmonton backyard.

The incident was particularly startling for Robert Stebbings, who was sitting next to his garage when the young male cougar passedwithin five feet ofhim. Police ended up shooting the cougar when it advanced toward officers.

• Cougar shot in west Edmonton backyard
• Alberta's cougar population tripled in past decade

Encounters like the one Stebbings hadare not common. But they're alsonot unheard of, saidMarkBoyce, an ecology professor at the University of Alberta.

One year ago, a cougar was killed in Calgary after it was spotted prowling outside of a local hospital.

"It's to be expected given the expanding cougar population," Boyce said. "Also, young males just do strange things and show up in strange places."

In the Edmonton case, the young male cougar was a textbook "disperser"and was likely looking for a place to set upterritory, Boyce explained.

Boyce said the cougar likely made its way into the city from the North Saskatchewan River valley, home to one of Alberta's manycougar territories.

"There are cougars pretty well across Alberta," he said, notingthe highest density of cougars in North America is in the Cypress Hills in southeastern Alberta.

In terms of sheer numbers, though, the highest numbers of individual animals are found in the Rocky Mountains from Waterton Lakes through to Willmore, he said.

According to Boyce, fewer cougars are shot or poisonednow than in the past. At the sametime, Alberta's deer population the main prey of cougars is spiking.

That means there are not only more cougars now than30 years ago, butcougars areactively expanding into areas where they were not previously found.

That doesn't mean people need to be scared.

"In general, they're not dangerous at all," Boyce said.

"They're so sneaky that you oftentimes don't know they're there. It's unusual, in fact, that you know one's stalking you or watching you."

But occasionally, an animal will "do something irregular" and attack.

In 2001, Frances Frost was killed by a cougar while cross-country skiing near Lake Minnewanka, about 12 kmeast of Banff.Boyce estimatedthere havebeen 17 cougar-related fatalities in B.C.

However, hestressed those kind of attacks are the exception to the rule.

"It's certainly rare. Usually cougars are deathly afraid of humans and in fact if one stands your ground, they will seldom approach."

Boyce offered the following tips for avoiding a dangerous situationwith acougar:

• Be aggressiveand stand your ground
• Make loud noises and make yourself appear as large as possible
• If possiblein well-knowncougar areas, travel in a group