Earlier in the month, a cougar was killed in a wolf snare near Grandview.
Bill Watkins, a biologist with the wildlife and fisheries branch says they were able to trace back the cougar.
“The animal was originally radio-collared by researchers in the Cypress Hills on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border way back in 2011. So this is an animal that is approximately 10 years of age and they were able to track its route to about as far as Moose Mountain Provincial Park in Saskatchewan before the radio went dead.”
Watkins says there have been other long-distance movements by cougar, but this ranks in the top 10 traverses they’re aware of. From where it was tracked in Cypress Hills to where it died, it had travelled over 1200 kilometres.
There’s a protocol if trappers find a cougar in their traps.
“For any trapper that finds a cougar in one of their sets on their trap line, they must immediately contact their local office where conservation officers can come out and have a look at it. It is a protected species in Manitoba and therefore, they have to report it immediately so we can make sure it’s all above board, it was caught legally and that sort of thing.”
Watkins says If you see a cougar in the wild, give it room to escape, but if it shows interest in you, move away to your vehicle or a building, don’t run, look and sound fierce by yelling and throwing things at it. He adds if the cougar attacks, fight back because past stories suggest anyone who puts up a vigorous defence will survive the encounter.
Another notable point Watkins made is there has never been a cougar attack in Manitoba ever.
