By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Conservation officers keeping close eye on Ladysmith trail after cougar encounter

Sep 10, 2018 | 5:01 PM

LADYSMITH — Conservation officers are paying extra attention to a cougar encounter in Holland Creek Trail in Ladysmith.

A woman walking the trail with her off-leash dog confirmed to NanaimoNewsNOW a runner confronted a cougar on the popular trail Monday morning as it chased her dog.

Troy Sterling of the BC Conservation Officer Service said this incident is a reminder for people to keep their dogs on leashes while out in the woods. 

“Especially in that area because the cougars and bears frequent it quite a bit,” Sterling said. “It’s a wildlife corridor for them to get through to the beach and back into the woods.”

The Monday morning sighting led to a safety advisory from the Town of Ladysmith.

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Sterling said the nature of the encounter means conservation officers will more closely watch what’s going on in the Holland Creek Trail area.

“Because it was daylight and after a pet, it’s something that we monitor moreso and we’ll continue do do so.”

Sterling said there are typically two or three cougar and bear sightings in the Holland Creek Trail area monthly, since the animals are protected by terrain and have a wide variety of food sources. 

If you happen to come across a cougar, Sterling recommended making yourself look big and to be loud but not screaming while backing away slowly. 

He said cases of cougars attacking humans are “extremely rare.” He believed the last time a cougar killed a human in the province was 1996.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes