Less than two weeks after a cougar killed a pet cat at a home on the outskirts of Calgary, a Foothills resident came face-to-face with a big cat after it attacked his dog Sunday evening.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers investigating the previous incident — which occurred just outside the door of a home roughly 16 kilometres north of the Sunday attack — said that while the area is known to have a healthy wildlife population, it is unusual for the wild cats to venture so close to residences during daylight hours.
On Sunday, Foothills resident Jakob Strasser had just returned home when he heard a commotion at his front gate, shortly before 8 p.m., he said.
When he went outside to his driveway, Strasser said he saw one of his dogs being attacked by a large cougar.
“I ran out and heard one of the dogs screaming,” Strasser said.
“I ran up to it, had nothing in my hands, and I just screamed at the cougar,” he added.
The cougar eventually dropped the small dog after Strasser’s hunting dog fought off the attacking animal, he said. The small dog sustained injuries but survived.
Strasser says the cougar continued to stalk his home, returning to the spot of the attack just 30 minutes later, and showed no sign of being afraid of humans.
Surveillance cameras set up outside Strasser’s home captured footage of the attack and the cat prowling on the property.
After going back outside to scare off the cougar, Strasser says he came face-to-face with the cat one more time.
“I saw his eyes shining,” Strasser said. “He was right there looking at me and didn’t move at all.
“It was pretty odd behaviour,” he added.
‘Cougars around here are just getting bolder’
As of Tuesday afternoon, Strasser had not been in touch with the provincial wildlife office about the incident but planned to take additional precautions to protect his children and dogs, including setting up additional cameras on the property, he said.
Similar precautions were taken by Jessica Low and her husband after a cougar killed their cat and scared their three young children at their home on the southwest edge of the city earlier this month.
After hearing about the recent incident, Low says she wonders if it was the same cougar she had believed to be coming after her five-year-old daughter. “Cougars around here are just getting bolder,” she said.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Alberta Fish and Wildlife said cougars can be found all around the Calgary area and are “generally elusive,” but advised the community to remain cautious.
Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services said Tuesday that it had not received any reports about a cougar encounter in the Millarville area on Sept. 22.
The provincial wildlife office reminded residents that cougar activity can be reported by calling 1-800-642-3800.
— With files from Brent Calver