PENTICTON, B.C. — British Columbia conservation officers have killed a family of four cougars they say were growing increasingly bold while hunting urban deer around homes in the province's Interior.
Sgt. Jim Beck with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service says they initially tried to deal with the situation by removing the remains of the family's kills, then actively scaring off the animals with loud and aggressive noises, but neither plan worked.
Beck says the mother began appearing during daylight hours, and then on Friday she showed up near an elementary school, which set off a flurry of phone calls from nearby residents.
He says the mother cougar was spotted stalking a dog over the weekend and later seen sunning herself on a house deck.
The risk to public safety led officers to track down the family on Tuesday and cull the mother and three juveniles.
Beck says the concern was that by next year the young animals would have matured and the community would have four problem cougars to deal with.
