Conservative officers in Willams Lake are asking the public to report any cougar encounters after a hiker was followed by a cougar for about 20 minutes Thursday, June 26.
CO Mark Walkosky of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said a woman was hiking the Sleepy Hollow trail north of Westridge when she noticed the cougar following her.
He said the cougar was about the size of a German Shepherd and from some video surveillance footage of a cougar in the area the COS viewed, they think it could have been a juvenile just because of some of the markings.
"The footage was slightly grainy so it's difficult to be more specific," he said.
The hiker called the RAPP line to report the incident and a few other calls of sightings have come in sporadically, which is quite common for Williams Lake, especially in the spring, Walkosky said.
"We are starting to get an increase in calls, just in that Westridge area."
Responding to the calls about the Westridge area, conservation officers conducted vehicle and foot patrols on Thursday morning but were unable to locate a cougar at that time.
They posted signs at the two main entrances to hiking trails and in the Westridge area, notifying the public there is a cougar in the area.
Cougars are most active at dawn and dusk, he said and recommended people hike in groups of two or more people. If confronted by a cougar, it's important to act large, never turn your back to a cougar and try to keep your distance, he added.
"If possible, put something between you and the animal. For instance, the female hiker was able grab a large stick and use that and keep some distance. Eventually she was able to get to a location where she could climb a fence and increase some distance there."
He reminded the public the RAPP line 1-877-952-7277 is a 24-hour phone service. .
"If people are just reporting sightings they may not get a call back but it's good knowledge for us to have," Walkosky said.
Russet Bluff call about possible cougar incident
The COs also attended a call on Thursday evening, June 26, in the Russet Bluff area, he said.
"We did have a call of a possible cougar attack in the Russet Bluff area last night. We responded and we were unable to find any sort of evidence of a cougar event. There was no evidence of a scuffle or an attack."
Walkosky said it seems the incident undetermined at this point.
"There was some information there were some people on the bluff and maybe they were yelling at each other and some people assumed it was some sort of attack."
He said the RCMP also attended and found nothing as well, while residents saw ambulances respond too.
