The reports of a cougar sighted in the St. Albert area may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Fish & Wildlife officers investigated following the Nov. 9 report of a cougar near Bellerose Composite High School in St. Albert, but were unable to find any evidence of the cougars.
“None of the sightings were confirmed,” said Alberta Justice spokesperson Brendan Cox.
He said it’s very rare for cougars to be confirmed in the St. Albert or Sturgeon County area, with no sightings reported in recent memory.
It’s rare, in fact, for cougars to be spotted anywhere in the greater Edmonton area, as cougars are so shy of humans.
“It’s very rare in the Edmonton area for people to see a cougar, although they can travel through the river valley and other green spaces,” Cox said. “They are very shy animals and are just very seldom seen.”
In the province as a whole, however, cougar numbers appear to be increasing. A 2012 cougar management plan released by Alberta Environment estimates the number of cougars in Alberta at 2,050. Although they’re mostly confined to the mountain and foothill regions, they are “well established in much of the Parkland region as well.” The Parkland region includes greater Edmonton.
“We’re starting to see cougars in many different places all over the province where we haven’t seen them in a long time,” Cox said. “I think the main reason is that there are more cougars.”
Cougars have been confirmed not too far outside the Edmonton area, however, and they are known to prey on livestock. In July 2014, Fish and Wildlife officers confirmed a cougar that possibly had young cubs was responsible for the deaths of 25 sheep on a ranch near Westlock, about 70 km north of St. Albert.
As far as the risk to humans, it’s very small but nonetheless exists. If a cougar knows a human is around it will most likely leave the area, but in the event a cougar does attack, people should make themselves appear as large as possible and shout aggressively at the animal without turning their back.
