Three cougars killed after stalking people in Princeton

Princeton residents are being warned to keep an eye out for cougars after three “killer cats” were shot and killed in a two-week period after they were seen stalking people at a campground, a swimming hole and a baseball tournament.

Princeton RCMP said the three juvenile cougars had to be put down because they posed an “immediate and dire threat to humans,” including two girls aged 10 or 11 who were stalked as they swam in the Tulameen River at about 8 p.m. last Friday.

The girls were saved from an attack after a man living across the river spotted the 16-month-old male cougar watching the girls and immediately ran inside his home, grabbed his rifle and shot it.

He then called police and conservation officials to tell them what had happened.

Police Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said after interviewing the man that his actions were warranted and “appear to have circumvented an imminent attack by the cougar.”

He added that given the girls’ ages, “the chances of surviving the pending attack would not have been great.”

“When you see a cat and, when it’s stalking prey, you know the physical cues of its behaviour,” Moskaluk said. “There was no doubt in the man’s mind that cougar was stalking those kids.”

The next day, a man at a baseball tournament at Princeton Memorial Park, where hundreds of people were gathered, saw a cougar prowling in the area. He ran across the highway to the police detachment and banged on the door, Moskaluk said.

“The guy just uttered ‘cougar, cougar, cougar,’” he said, adding there were some on- and off-duty officers inside. “The guys just grabbed their firearms and went out. The [cougar] was just crouching behind some rocks watching them.”

The 16-month-old female cougar, which was shot by police, was just one hundred feet from a swimming pool full of children, and next to the ball diamond.

It was the third cougar to be shot since the first week in July, when police were alerted to a cat prowling among campers at a town campsite. That cougar was killed by conservation officers.

Police said conservation officers categorized the three cougars as “killer cats” — young, hungry, with little fear or knowledge of humans and seeing small animals and children as easy prey.

Moskaluk noted the cougars were not far from home since all the locations — the river, the park and the campground — bordered on their natural habitat.

Princeton conservation officer Al Lay all three cats likely came from the same litter, and that it appears something was wrong with them, since they were spotted in broad daylight and weren’t afraid of crowds.

An adult cat that encountered a large crowd of people likely would have turned tail and run away,” Lay said.

“It’s typical for young cougars, but this close to town for so long, it was a scary situation,” he said. “The one seen to be stalking the two girls, that was just dangerous.”

Lay noted it’s not unusual to see so many cougars, especially in Princeton, which is surrounded by perfect habitat for the cats. He warned the public to be aware.

“We don’t want people to panic or be afraid to go in the woods. Just be aware these animals are in the vicinity,” he said. “Keep watch, don’t take your eyes off them and make yourself bigger.”

ksinoski@vancouversun.com