Cougar visits the Peach

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

A young cougar seen in downtown Penticton Wednesday morning has been dealt with.

Penticton RCMP Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said the one-year-old animal was observed in a tree by the Peach on the Beach, at 6:30 a.m.

A conservation officer and RCMP responded to the scene, and the animal was tranquilized and moved. 

Wrigglesworth said the cougar was taken to the wilderness far to the east of town, so it wouldn't get used to city life.

"It was moved far, far away, so it doesn't become a threat to the public," he said.

Barb Leslie with the B.C. Conservation Service confirmed the cougar had been re-located within its own home range.

She had no idea how it ended up in the city's downtown area.

Her advice for people who encounter cougars is to make themselves as big as possible and to keep dogs on leashes.