A cougar that attacked three mini-horses near Horse Lake on Sept. 17, one of them seriously, has been seen lurking around the surrounding area.
Katchmar Road resident, Sue Wolfe, says she went out as usual about 9 a.m. to feed and water her five horses, four of them mini’s, and saw they weren’t in their usual spot.
When she located three of the minis in the corral, she grew more concerned upon realizing the smallest horse, Sunny, was missing, along with her full-sized horse and the remaining three were visibly shaken and upset.
“They were all trembling, and they were standing on guard, like they were just on the alert. At that point I was a little worried that something had happened to the little one, because she is a little more vulnerable.”
Once Wolfe saw the gate was broken, she knew a predator had been in there. She found Sunny at the back of her property with extensive injuries, with her big horse beside it.
“Sunny had blood all down the front of her – fresh blood. So I knew that she had been injured and then proceeded for the next hour to try and get them home so I could look closer.”
Once she examined Sunny, she knew with claw marks cutting right across the mini’s neck, her injuries needed to be treated by a veterinarian.
One of her neighbours helped transport Sunny to Lakeland Veterinary Clinic, where Wolfe was treated and released, she adds.
“I had some really good support from our community here. Some of them I didn’t even know came over to help – it was wonderful.”
Wolfe says when the first conservation officer came out, he found cougar tracks that led them to the location of the attacks.
“It was within 100 feet of our house … so it was very close.”
The COs returned with four dogs, nine days after the attack, after reports of further cougar sightings in the area.
After hearing they tracked the wildcat as far as Horse Lake Road, where the canines lost its trail, Wolfe wants her neighbours to know it is out there, and to take safety precautions for their animals and their families, she explains.
With the aid of COs and a veterinarian, Wolfe says she later determined two more of these little equine’s had deep claw-cuts hidden under their thick, furry coats. She adds Sunny also had other claw marks, as well as the deep cut around her neck.
Sunny is recovering well, so far, as are the other two injured mini’s, but all of the horses were very traumatized after suffering such a fright, she says.
After a CO suggested they keep them in an enclosed, protected area from dusk to dawn, Sue and others have been working on building barns for the minis every day, but meanwhile, none of them have been sleeping much at night, she explains.
“They have never been inside before and now we need to put the minis away at night. So we were able to temporarily house them inside [a small outbuilding] … but it was painful to see them in there.
“Now, we’ve made a couple of outdoor stalls that are totally secure for the ones that don’t like to be inside.”
Wolfe says the little horses are adjusting to their new shelters, but remain frightened outdoors and “in a panic mode” outside of the corral – running around, very skittish and “jumping at every twig that snaps.”
“I’ve tried to alert neighbours, as that’s not the only night that cougar was here, it came back at least three or four times. There have been several [area] sightings, and several calls in to the CO.”
CO Service houndsman Jared Connatty says they remain both concerned and interested in capturing the big wildcat, and will follow up further on any reported sightings or evidence of conflicts.
“[It] was confirmed to be a cougar. The complainant saw a cougar in that location a couple of times and we did attend [on Sept. 26] and deployed hounds on a track that we were not successful in catching.”
The trail was lost by the hounds due to weather, road crossings and various other hindrances, he says.
Meanwhile, the COs and their provincial houndsman have not given up on finding the marauding feline.
“This cougar has been in that area for an extended period of time the past couple of weeks. There have been no confirmed sightings. The first time we caught wind of this issue [was] on Katchmar Road.”
While occasional, passer-by predators can’t always lead to in-person site investigations by COs – with or without tracking dogs – Connatty says they are concerned about this cougar because it has attacked and injured small livestock, a learned behaviour that indicates it may strike again.
However, the houndsman notes timing is crucial, so reporting sightings quickly is key to their successful tracking. He urges everyone in the general area to take precautions with small animals and livestock, keep a keen eye out and report any sightings and cougar conflicts immediately.
When reporting, note the time and location details and then call the the 24-hour RAPP hotline at 1-877-952-7277 or #7277 on Telus mobiles, and they will track it if they can.
“This one has got confirmed, verified attacks – we know there’s a continued risk there – and if the phone rings for something that has happened, we will respond, we will deal with it,” says Connatty.
More information on how to live safely and minimize cougar conflicts is online at www.wildsafebc.com/cougar.