05/29/2026
A very important reminder, thanks Wild Wise Society.
It's the time of year where we start to hear about frequent conflicts with cougars and livestock. While these incidents can be alarming, they can often be avoided with proper animal husbandry, such as providing a covered enclosure for livestock to safely go into between dusk and dawn.
Predators do not distinguish between what we as humans consider “natural” prey and domestic animals. An off-leash dog, a dog left outside unsupervised, unsecured livestock, or a free-roaming cat can all present opportunities to a wild predator. Protecting the animals in our care is a human responsibility, it is not reasonable to expect wildlife to understand or adapt to our expectations.
Cougars can be active at any time of the day or night, though they typically hunt at night to avoid human interaction, as they are generally elusive creatures that make great efforts to avoid humans and conflict with humans.
Unlike bears or wolves, cougars don’t have a strong sense of smell; they rely on their keen eyesight and hearing to ambush their prey - because of this, they are unlikely to enter areas or enclosures they cannot see and assess potential dangers beforehand.
With large territories to occupy, cougars do not often stay in the same area consistently unless there’s a cached food source, potential mate or kittens nearby, or they have found reliable food sources in unsecured livestock.
Cougars are genetically predisposed to target quadrupedal (4-legged) prey species. While it is always wise to supervise small children outdoors in cougar habitat, it’s important to keep risk in perspective: cougar conflicts involving humans are incredibly rare. In the last century, there have been approximately six cougar-related fatalities in British Columbia. By comparison, roughly 270 people lose their lives in motor vehicle accidents in the province each year.
Please report all conflicts to the BC Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277. We often hear that reporting a predator to the BC Conservation Officer Service means officers will immediately come out and destroy the animal, this is simply not true, and we ask that you please not spread this narrative. Every situation is different and responses will vary. It's important to report conflicts early, as early reports often provide more options, such as education and monitoring. When behaviours escalate without early reporting and ultimately become a risk to public safety, options become extremely limited and there is often no other choice but to destroy the animal.
We see many suggestions about relocation when cougars start to predate on livestock. It's worth noting that there are many factors involved with relocation that people do not consider - cougars are extremely territorial animals. Taking any animal and dropping it off in a different area can include risks. Sometimes relocation is successful and other times it's not. Just because the animal is moved from one area does not mean it would result in a happy ending, that it wouldn't return or that it wouldn't continue the same behaviour that prompted it's relocation in the first place. Relocation should not be a solution we rely on, being proactive with our attractants is. Food conditioned predators are often not candidates for relocation.
With so many of our homes and communities bordering dense forests, wildlife habitats naturally overlap with our own, increasing the chance of cougar sightings. It’s important to always be prepared to coexist with these predators, not just when sightings are posted on social media. See less
