Students glimpse cougar on campus

Sighting unconfirmed, but officials warn students to be cautious

by Megan Stewart

Several students reported a close brush with nature last week when they sighted a cougar on campus in Mystic Vale, but officials found no evidence that a predatory animal was in the area.

At approximately 7 p.m. on Sept. 7, two female students reported spotting a large, tawny cat while trail running in Mystic Vale, a sprawl of forest covering 4.4 hectares at the southeast edge of campus.

The women called 9-1-1 before arriving at Campus Security Services (CSS) to report the sighting 20 minutes later. Another student contacted CSS at 7:50 p.m. after spotting a cougar near the Engineering buildings.

Saanich Police scouted Mystic Vale after the reported sightings, but found no evidence of a cougar, also known as a mountain lion. In order to confirm a sighting, an RCMP or conservation officer must either see the animal or identify its tracks.

“This was not a confirmed sighting,” said Constable John Price of the Saanich Police. “There was no evidence of a cougar in the area, but that is not uncommon given the condition of the ground. It’s dry and the cougar is a padded animal and doesn’t leave tracks unless it’s quite muddy.”

Const. Price said the only avenue open to authorities is getting word out that an animal has been sighted in the area. Had it been a confirmed sighting, the trails through Mystic Vale likely would have been closed temporarily.

“There are students . . . who don’t realise animals are in the area. There are a number of wooded paths in Saanich that are used by bears and cougars,” he said.

A number of animals, including deer, owls, hawks and rabbits, make UVic and the surrounding municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich their home. Cougars, on the other hand, are temporary guests in the residential areas, if they visit at all, said conservation officer Peter Pauwels.

“UVic is not big enough for a cougar,” said Pauwels, noting that the territorial felines prefer multiple square kilometres of land to roam and hunt.

“UVic is just not an area where a cougar will feel comfortable,” he said. “There are too many dogs, too many cars, too many people. Any cougar that makes its way [to campus] is going to be getting out in pretty short order.”

Tom Downie, assistant director of CSS, said he can’t remember the last time a cougar sighting was confirmed at UVic. “People will sometimes see a deer,” said Downie.

“There are animals, in addition to the rabbits, like deer, hawks and owls. It’s not unheard of to see a hawk or an owl sweep down and swoop off with a bunny. We operate in a park; we really do.”