Update: Police have determined that the photo and report of a cougar sighting in Oak Bay were actually false.
Original story: The search is on for a cougar in Oak Bay after a young girl who snapped a photo of the big cat called 911 to report it.
The cougar was last spotted in the area of Central Avenue at Monterey Avenue Friday afternoon, according to Oak Bay Police.
A picture of the cougar, taken by 13-year-old Savannah Gomez-Bedingfield, shows it lying on a lawn in the area.
"It was lying down. It looked like it was asleep," she told CTV News, adding she felt "kind of scared" by the encounter.
"I walked away from it and phoned 911. They asked me where I was and then the police came and asked me some questions."
A neighbour in the area said she did not see the cougar, but two large bucks ran through her yard “spooked” around the same time.
“They came flying out. There was a bunch of yelling over here and then the cops came out,” said Vivian, who didn’t give her last name. “They were terrified. One of them was huge.”
BC Conservation Officers have been called in to investigate, and officially confirmed the sighting after seeing the picture of the big cat.
Oak Bay Police spokesman Sgt. Chris Goudie said parents and pet owners should keep children and small pets inside as the search continues.
“The animal is going to be hunkered down until darkness. They’re very, very shy animals,” he said. “They don’t want to be confronted, so if people do spot them, they’re to call us and not confront the animal or try to scare it off.”
It’s unclear if it’s the same cougar that has been reportedly prowling Oak Bay over the last week. None of the eight previous sightings were confirmed.
Anyone who sees the cat is asked to report it to BC Conservation at 1-877-952-7277.
