A thriving cougar population has Sundre considering whether to ban deer feeding in town.
Fish and Wildlife officer Adam Mirus told town council recently that deer are being drawn into town by food left out by local residents. Unfortunately, with the deer come their hunters.
Mirus told the Advocate last month that cougar numbers are up dramatically, largely because of an ample supply of deer, whose population is also on the rise.
Unfortunately, the natural cycle has led to more cougar-human contact. A couple of pet dogs have been killed in recent months and a local woman was confronted by a cougar outside a town convenience store early last month.
Mirus suggested it might be time for the town to consider a bylaw discouraging people from feeding deer within the town.
Sundre chief administrative officer Dave Dubauskas said the town is considering the request and wants to hear from residents.
“I’d like to gauge citizen input in terms of is this something citizens want to see or not,” he said. “If people feel strongly one way or another, if they’d let us know that would be great.”
A call for feedback will be posted on the town’s website.
As well, staff will check to see how other communities have handled the issue.
Sundre isn’t the only community that has been seeing more cougars. A Canmore resident was attacked by a cougar as he rode home early last month. The 20-year-old was able to fend off the big cat, using his bike as a shield.
Fish and Wildlife officers looking into the incident discovered a neighbour of the young man’s had been feeding deer and rabbits from his yard.
Information on dealing with wildlife is available at www.wildsmart.ca and http://esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/human-wildlife-conflict.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com