Cougar on the prowl in Saanich's urban Uptown area prompts police warning
Saanich police have issued a public warning after a cougar was spotted prowling around the Greater Victoria city's urban Uptown neighbourhood in several locations Wednesday night.
It's the second police warning about a cougar on south Vancouver Island this week after Central Saanich police urged caution after one of the animals was spotted near Saanichton village centre on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post made Thursday morning, Saanich police said officers spotted the animal at around 10 p.m. in the 3800 block of Rowland Ave., and later received reports of it walking along the Lochside Trail between Darwin Avenue and Saanich Road in Swan Lake Park.
A video posted to a local Facebook page shows the animal walking near a residential complex just north of the Uptown Shopping Centre, across from the city's main fire hall.
Police say the animal has been reported to the conservation officer service and the public has been asked to use caution.
"If you encounter the cougar walk away slowly and call 911," the post says.
According to WildSafeBC, cougars account for approximately 2,500 calls to conservation officers in B.C. every year, though many turn out to be other large cats, and attacks are "very rare."
"If you encounter a cougar, keep calm and never run," the agency says.
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