Cougar kills puppy

Photo: Ken Owens

A cougar has been euthanized after it attacked and killed a one-year-old dog in Lumby.

Conservation officers received a call to their RAPP line about a cougar killing a dog just after 5 p.m. in the Shuswap River Drive area on Sunday.

On Monday, conservation officers, with their specially trained dogs, attended the property and learned the cougar had killed a female border collie directly beside a home. 

“The quick action by our complainant allowed for conservation officers to respond with three agency K-9’s in a timely manner,” said CO Ken Owens. 

Since last April, there have been 18 cougar calls made for the Lumby area, and in August, a cougar killed four goats in the same area. 

Owens said they determined the cougar was likely to attack again.

“The difficult part of a conservation officer’s job, the removal of wildlife from the population, is never an easy thing to do,” he said. “Conservation officers assessed the situation carefully to determine the likelihood of the animal reoffending and or surviving.”

Conservation officers located the cougar and euthanized it Monday.

B.C.’s cougar population is estimated at about 7,000. They prefer to eat deer, but if allowed, they'll eat pets and livestock. 

A mature cougar will kill and consume one average size deer every seven to 10 days, according to Owens.

Owens said their dogs played a big role in protecting human health and that they have a very dangerous jobs. 

“These K-9s are utilized to respond to critical, high-profile cougar attacks involving human injuries or fatalities, and pet and livestock depredation involving cougars,” he said. 

Residents are asked to report any human-wildlife conflicts to 1-877-952-7277.