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COUGARS

© Mary M. Alward

Recently our local newspaper ran an article saying a cougar had been spotted within the city limits. It warned against allowing young children and pets to be outdoors without supervision. This article brought back memories – memories of when I was growing up on the farm.

A wildlife artist lived about a half-hour’s drive from where we lived. He had founded a small zoo for local children. The animals were also used as subjects for his paintings.

Unfortunately, one of the cougars escaped. It killed a full-grown cow on a neighboring farm. We children were not allowed out after dusk and fear gripped our small community.

I remember lying in bed at night, listening to the cougar’s screams. The sound reminded me of a baby’s cry, yet was eerie. It sent shivers of fear slithering up my spine. Goosebumps crawled along my skin.

The men went out several nights with their rifles and my uncle’s Beagle hounds but the cougar always eluded them. Finally, officials from the Department of Game and Fisheries were able to trap it, tranquilize it and return it to the zoo. Immediately precautions were taken to prevent further escape.

The recent newspaper article inspired me to do some research on these beautiful creatures. In Canada they are also known as mountain lions, panther and puma. They are one of three felids (members of the cat family) that are native to Canada. Cougars are the largest of the three. Lynx and Bobcats are smaller. The cougar also has a longer tail.

Cougars have lived in Canada since Europeans first arrived here. At one time their range extended from the West Coast, across the prairies and into the forests of Ontario. They also prowled the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Valleys, Quebec and New Brunswick. Presently, because of a dwindling deer population, which is the cougar’s main food source, they are usually found only in the western provinces.

Canada has four subspecies of the cougar. The species native to the eastern provinces are listed as endangered by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. This is an international committee. In Canada, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Species also lists the cougar as endangered. Other wildlife authorities list the eastern cougar as extinct. Three other subspecies of cougar are found along the Coast Range and interior of British Columbia and throughout southwestern Alberta.

The cougar is the second largest cat in the New World. (The jaguar is larger.) It has a muscular body that is deep-chested. Its head is short and rounded with large eyes and long whiskers. The long tail is used similar to a rudder for balance. Males weigh-in at an average of 71kg while females average 41kg. Male body length is a little above 80 inches and a female’s a few inches shorter.

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