A cougar is no longer believed to be on Protection Island. (File photo/The Canadian Press)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

no further sightings

Cougar presumed to have left Protection Island, live trap removed

Jan 5, 2023 | 2:08 PM

NANAIMO — A trap aimed at luring a cougar to a Protection Island property has been packed up and taken off the island.

The BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) arranged the live trap’s removal on Thursday, Jan 5 after it had been in place for a week, confirmed the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

A Ministry spokesperson stated no further cougar sightings had been made on the island following multiple such reports in late December.

The Ministry believes the cougar has left the island and managed to find food sources elsewhere.

A concealed live trap was placed on the small populated island near Nanaimo after surveillance video emerged of a cougar leaping over a gate outside a Protection Island home on Dec. 27.

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The BCCOS first acknowledged reports Protection Island cougar sightings on Twitter on Dec. 23.

Concerns from Protection Islanders were raised about the well-being of children and pets with a cougar roaming on the small populated island.

Notable interactions between wildlife and humans are rare on Protection Island.

A black bear was on the island for a short time in May 2019.

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