By Taylor Chartrand

No confirmed cougar presence in Kin Coulee

Dec 9, 2018 | 10:42 AM

Medicine Hat, AB – Generally when you head down to Kin Coulee Park, you can expect to see people roaming around and maybe a deer or two, but it’s almost unheard of to feel the presence of a cougar.

A resident of Medicine Hat recently posted on Facebook that a deer carcass had been found in the park and he made the assumption that it was a cougar kill.

Fish and Wildlife did attend the scene, but city officials had already cleared the carcass from the area.

During their investigation, officers did find a second dead deer in the park though.

Fish and Wildlife Communications Advisor Brendan Cox says after doing their search, officers concluded there was not enough evidence to support the claims of a cougar in the region. 

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“The caller suspected that a cougar was responsible for killing the deer,” he explained. “That carcass was removed by city employees, so our officers can’t confirm that a cougar was indeed responsible. From the information that we received, there weren’t any cougar tracks in the area.”

Instead, the officer concluded that it was likely these deer were struck by vehicles because there are some major roads near the park like Highway 1 and College Ave.

Although it’s relatively unheard of, Cox believes the presence of a cougar isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“I wouldn’t say that we receive a ton of calls in regards to cougars for that area. With that being said, cougars are known to be present in the vast majority of the province. Kin Coulee Park is a natural corridor for wildlife, which a variety of animals will use as a pathway for travel. It is possible that there are cougars there, but we haven’t confirmed any sightings.”

Cox then stated that your first instinct should be to report these issues to Fish and Wildlife and not to Facebook.

“First and foremost we encourage people to phone it into the Fish and Wildlife office. When it comes to posting on Facebook, we certainly understand that people have good intentions and want members of the community to know what’s going on.”

The wildlife expert in Cox then added some things you could watch out for in terms of cougars.

“If you do see an animal carcass, we encourage you to leave that area and give a lot of space. If you see a carcass, it is possible that animals are feeding on it. If you see birds flying over head, that could be an indication of a carcass as well. Also, tracks are a very obvious sign.”

In terms of staying cougar prepared, Cox had these tips.

“It’s never a good idea to feed wildlife. Even if you’re doing something as simple as feeding smaller wildlife with a bird-feeder, that could attract other animals as well. Another thing would be to keep your garbage stored in a sealed container with a tightly fitting lid. Shelter will also attract animals. If you have any thick vegetation on your property, we encourage you to clear that away.”

It’s also worth nothing that if you have any open spaces under your deck or maybe in a shed, try to close off those areas. Sometimes, a motion activated light will also scare away animals.