Concerning Cougar Sightings on Chilliwack Hiking Trail: Stay Alert!

While seeing nature along your hike can make the entire experience more enjoyable, there are some wildlife you just don't want to run into, like a cougar. According to Fraser Valley Today, Cougars have been sighted on the Chilliwack hiking trail in Canada. What's happening? The non-profit WildSafeBC reported a hiker's encounter with the big cat, which was acting strangely and chirping. Luckily, this encounter ended with the animal running away. This is not the first sighting of a cougar in Fraser Valley. Two happened last year and didn't end so innocently. In August, a mountain biker was chased by a cougar before the cat made contact, and then it chased him for another 20 minutes. The man was able to throw rocks at the cougar while holding his bike and eventually scared the animal away. In July, a man was attacked by a cougar, but he was able to punch the animal to get it to back off. Luckily, the man only suffered non-life-threatening injuries and wasn't hospitalized. According to the BBC, there are three common reasons for animal attacks. One, when an animal is protecting its young or food. This one can be more easily avoided just by keeping a distance from the animals and their food source. The second is when animals lose their fear of people because they become reliant on humans for food, such as in campsites and garbage. The last is the rarest, where the animal sees the human as prey. This one "only accounting for 17% of attacks in North America since 1955," per BBC. Additionally, people can provoke animals by getting too close to them in the wild. Why are cougar sightings concerning? As people move out of cities and closer to wildlife, they aren't taking the time to learn the protocols to keep themselves safe, like animal-proofing their garbage cans. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service International Programme Specialist Jen Miller said, "As finite resources become scarcer, carnivores and people are coming into more frequent contact, which means that more conflict could occur." An example of this is when a drought hit India, leading to an increase in lion attacks as they were relying on the same resources as humans. It is also believed that as winters become shorter, bears are ending their hibernation earlier when their food source is unavailable, and they run into people in their search. What's being done about wildlife sightings? WildSafeBC is urging hikers in Chilliwack to be vigilant and call 1-877-952-7277 if they encounter cougars or unusual wildlife behavior. WildSafeBC Fraser Valley said, "Keep your backpack on. If you see a cougar, keep your eye on them, you can throw rocks at them." It also encouraged hikers to "Be big and loud….Hey Cougar, Hey Cougar. Keep your pets leashed and small children close to you. Bear spray also is effective with cougars. Please learn how to use it."