By Dominic Abassi

Conservation officers to trap and remove cougar roaming Newcastle Island

Jul 16, 2018 | 5:17 PM

NANAIMO — After multiple sightings around the popular summer destination, conservation officers are taking the extraordinary step of trying to trap and remove a cougar from Newcastle Island.

Stuart Bates, acting Sgt. for the central island for the BC Conservation Officer Service, said there were three confirmed sightings of the cougar on Newcastle since July 7. There were many more on social media, including one posted to Facebook on Saturday showing the big cat sitting on the shores of the island.

Bates said while there’s nothing overly uncommon about a cougar heading to Newcastle to feast on the bounty of deer and raccoons, it’s something that typically happens in the winter.

“If this was November, we probably wouldn’t be doing much of anything at all because the chances of having a negative interaction with people would be negligible,” Bates told NanaimoNewsNOW. “But the chances at this time of year of it attacking or being attacked by dogs is pretty high.”

Bates said conservation officers will set up some “live traps,” basically a giant raccoon trap, likely on Tuesday. He said the traps are usually effective at snaring cougars within a few days. If it’s healthy enough, the cougar will be relocated outside of town in the bush.

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It’s the first time in his 10 years in Nanaimo Bates has seen a trap set for a cougar on one of the small islands surrounding the city, he said, noting the more common practice of chasing it with hounds wouldn’t work in the scenario.

“The problem in this case is the possibility the cougar just leaves the island and now he’s in downtown Nanaimo. We think this is the safest option for all the people and pets there, and for the cougar as well.”

Bates said it’s likely the cougar made its way to Newcastle after killing a deer in a backyard near Bowen Park in late June.

He urged people to continue to exercise caution, report any sightings to the Conservation Officer Service, and to stay clear of the traps.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi