Cougar attack in Brackendale
On June 17th a woman and her 3 year old daughter were out picking berries when they were attacked by a cougar. The mother manage to pull the cougar off her child and get to safety. The cute little girl who is doing fine now, thankfully, apparently couldn’t understand why the “big kitty, didn’t want to play nice.”
Though, I appreciate the heroics of her mother, the saving of her beautiful daughter’s life and the innocent statement of the child, here is my rant on this.
Conservations officers have gone and shot the cougar they think is the one who attacked this girl. However, they are not sure until after they get DNA results. Due to a rash of other attacks conservations officers have been out tracking other cougars and shooting them too. Apparently, we don’t have relocation services anymore.
If I have it right these people live in the Brackendale neighbourhood of Squamish, which boasts about its natural habitat and diverse species of birds and wildlife. Squamish and the surrounding areas have seen a lot of development over the years and road construction, which I’m sure has affected all inhabitants. The camping, the hiking, the bird watching and the ability to build your home right in the middle of all this habitat means humans are living and playing amongst the animals.
I don’t feel sorry for people who wish to live in nature and then complain when it comes into their space. If I go out to camp, I assume I may be crossing the path of wildlife that has been living and raising its young in that area.
Also, I have little sympathy for people who want the picturesque view and don’t mind tearing off a strip of a mountain to get it. These are the same people who decide “hey, it’s a nice day to go for a walk on the man made walking trails and pick berries right in my backyard.” What bothers me most, is they have the audacity to complain about animals living in this natural, diverse world they bought into. Where did you think the wildlife would go?
Most animals and birds have a range, they can’t go higher because their food source may not be there. They can’t go lower because for the most part we have already destroyed that. They have dens and trees in which they have raised generations of their species. Of course, those dens, trees and ranges are shrinking rapidly or no longer exist.
One of the cougars shot, was emancipated. Why? One may have been young and was just learning to hunt. Oops…bad mistake to try hunting where humans have taken over. I’m sick of these stories about people who come in contact with wildlife and then we kill them.
I have said this before and I will say this again. If I’m ever out and get mulled by a bear or attacked by a cougar don’t bother to tell them where I was, it was my fault for being stupid, unprotected and unaware of my surroundings.
The “big kitty” doesn’t want to play because he has to probably take a lot more risk and time in order to feed himself, thanks to human encroachment. Like it or not that is my say….no sympathy!!
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Those pesky humans! When will they ever learn? Every time they sprawl out to find new habitat to live in, they have to deal with animals, some that are predatory by nature, and who really should know better than to encroach on their new home territory. Maybe they need to put up bigger signage so those nuisance Cougars can know to steer clear.
Perhaps the weak humans should learn to carry bear mace when hiking in the wilderness, picking berries, with their 3 year old offspring (aka: cougar kibble), so to protect themselves against such trespassers.
Well, that’s OK. Those pesky humans always get what they want anyway. After-all, they wanted to be close to nature. Hey, with any luck the conservation team will do a semi-annual sweep of the territory so they can kill more of those pests. Then humans can walk freely in the wilderness without fear of any actual contact with natures creatures. Purrr-fect!!
I’m so relieved to hear another human express what we’ve been saying for years..Conservation officers are completely misnamed. They don’t ‘conserve’ anything. They shoot to kill, regardless of whether they have proof they are saving us from an animal turned human preditor…which btw most wildlife naturally is NOT. Of course wherever we live these days was once forest and therefore a home to wildlife. 100% agreed…do NOT EVER give the location of wildlife spottings to authorities. Doing so makes one an accomplice to completely unjustified murder. Its a very rare thing for a wild animal to hunt a human. If it happens, the animal is either protecting young, protecting territory, protecting food/starving to death or in some other state of real desperation..undoubtedly caused by a human. Think about it. Please.
Thanks Dean for the comment.
Very creative. “Pesky humans”, a lot of what we do makes little sense and yet we think we are the superior beings.
Thanks Gillean – I love what you said “conservation officers are completely misnamed.” There are still people out there who have no clue that a shoot to kill policy is in place.
I have friends who see wildlife in the area all the time including a cougar sleeping in a tree in their backyard. They live in Coquitlam. They will not phone on these animals because previously an animal was shot and people were shocked. The people in that neighbourhood recognize where they live and their impact but try to do their part,true conservationist. She has her cats inside and her child has grown up knowing about the animals and what to do/not to do.
That is the way to live…In Harmony!