Archive for September, 2011
Thoughts on the cougar shot near Parksville Beach
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
I was on my way down to Parksville Beach on Saturday morning for an annual beach volleyball tournament when I abruptly came across a roadblock on the highway. I didn’t think much of it until I saw that the RCMP Officer blocking the road was holding a huge shotgun and there were sounds of shots being fired nearby.
I was both relieved and saddened to hear when I arrived at the beach that a cougar had been discovered in the bushes of a oceanfront resort beside the community beach and was killed by conservation officers. Relieved that no one was hurt, and saddened that a local animal had to be killed.
It’s a good wake up call to people who hike around Vancouver Island that we do, indeed, share this beautiful space with predatory animals that have called our Island home far longer than we have. There were two cougar encounters on VI this past weekend alone. I’ve hiked trails all over this area and never encountered any sort of danger with wildlife, but that doesn’t mean the animals aren’t out there. It’s never a bad idea to brush up on what to do if you unexpectedly come across a cougar, here’s a great rundown of what to do and when.
Situations like this remind me how lucky we are to have conservation officers and RCMP looking out for the welfare of locals and tourists. We are also lucky to have organizations like the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, who care for and rehabilitate injured birds of prey and black bears.
While we can’t save a cougar who walks into a highly populated area, we can donate our money and time towards efforts to care for local wild animals in need. Why not make a donation to the NIWRA in memory of this weekend’s cougars, and thank the next RCMP officer you see for keeping Vancouver Island visitors and locals safe.
To make a donation to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, click here.
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