Cougar spotted on morning walk near Taghum, west of Nelson
By Nelson Daily Staff
A Taghum resident confirms seeing a cougar during a morning walk near the family home Wednesday.
Taghum is located 10 kilometers west of Nelson on Highway 3A.
“This cat was spotted at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday walking casually up the middle of the street on Woodland Drive in Taghum,” the Taghum resident told The Nelson Daily Thursday.
“Although it was pretty amazing to see a cougar with my own eyes, I hope I never see him again.”
The resident said by the time she snapped out of her trance from seeing the cougar, ran into the house to grab the camera, the cat had already began climbing the neighbour’s rock wall before heading into the brush.
Some tips for meeting up with a cougar are:
- Never approach a cougar. Although cougars will normally avoid a confrontation, all cougars are unpredictable. Cougars feeding on a kill may be dangerous.
- Always give a cougar an avenue of escape.
- Stay calm. Talk to the cougar in a confident voice.
- Pick all children up off the ground immediately. Children frighten easily and their rapid movements may provoke an attack.
- Do not run. Try to back away from the cougar slowly. Sudden movement or flight may trigger an instinctive attack.
- Do not turn your back on the cougar. Face the cougar and remain upright.
- Do all you can to enlarge your image. Don’t crouch down or try to hide. Pick up sticks or branches and wave them about.
