The mountain biking community was abuzz last week with news that a cougar was exhibiting unusually aggressive behaviour by stalking and chasing riders on area trails. But with the recent killing of a cougar of similar size and behaviour, Conservation Officer Chris Doyle said he tentatively believes the animal is no longer a threat. Cyclist Barb Ingstrom sent out a mass email Wednesday, June 25 detailing her encounter on Jack's Trail near Alice Lake."It stalked us for approximately 250 to 300 feet," she wrote. "Was very scary, no one was hurt. This evening on the downhill ride two riders rode past a cougar lying on the road. Please don't ride or run on your own. Today was too close..."Doyle confirmed that the Conservation Office received calls of an encounter on June 24 on Jack's Trail, and another on June 25, when the cougar followed two riders on Mashiter Trail in the Garibaldi Highlands. The RCMP and Conservation Office warned area trail users of the possibility of cougar encounters after a search of the area didn't reveal the animal. Ingstrom did not return calls by deadline, but one email recipient, Dawn Mortensen, said the news immediately caused her to change her routine."Bears don't scare me because they pretty much run away, but after Barb's email, detailing how it actually jumped off, out of the bushes, chased them for a bit and then stalked them from what she said 250 feet or so before it actually went away - that just makes me kind of nervous, especially if I'm by myself," said Mortensen."I used to ride up the golf course hill up Jack's Trail, upper parking lot, yellow gate and then do basically the reverse Test of Metal back down around. I haven't been out since."At Mortensen's behest, the Squamish Off Road Cycling Association (SORCA) posted on their website a report of the incidents as a warning to riders. But Doyle said he believes the encounters will stop now that he's shot a problem cougar at a Ring Creek residence Friday (June 27). "The cougar had killed a couple of residents' chickens and then it was chasing their dog and it was confronting the residents and then it basically just laid down on the property and wouldn't leave," said Doyle. "So we attended. I shot the cougar. It hadn't obviously eaten in a while. It was in poor physical condition. It was a small female. It could've been the same cat."The following long weekend saw hundreds of trail users in the same area the cougar had stalked, and no sightings were reported, said Doyle. "It may have been the same cougar, we don't know for sure," he said. "If it wasn't the same cougar, that cougar has likely moved on."The cougar's behaviour is quite unusual, he said, adding attacks on humans basically don't occur in the Sea to Sky, and are very rare even throughout the province. "Typically the problem is with livestock [mostly up in the Pemberton area]. Occasionally they'll come into residential areas and kill dogs and cats as well."But there are occasions when the officer's interference is needed, such as last year when a cougar was shot after stalking golfers on a course in Whistler. "We definitely are concerned when they are interested in people," said Doyle. "Bears will be interested in people's garbage, but when cougars show an interest in people, they're a predatory animal, and they kill to eat."Trail users should also be aware of other predatory animal, said Doyle, such as wolves, bears and coyotes. Predatory animal sightings can be reported to the Conservation office 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1 877 952-7277.
