VICTORIA -- Another large carnivore has been spotted in Greater Victoria, just a few blocks from where residents have reported bear sightings over the past several days.
Simon Renoize lives on Island Highway near Plowright Road in View Royal. On Thursday morning he awoke to a cougar encounter and caught it on video from just a few metres away.
"I was just waking up to get a cup of tea at about 6:15 and well I just did a double take at first," he says. "I went onto the balcony and the cat was just prowling at the side of our neighbour's backyard and having a look around."
West Shore RCMP say they received multiple reports about the cougar Thursday morning and notified conservation officers.
On Wednesday, the Mounties warned area residents that a large black bear had again been spotted nearby.
The bear was reported in the 100-block of View Royal Avenue and conservation officers were notified.
The warning came after the same bear was spotted in View Royal's Portage Park area on Monday morning. Conservation officers and police asked people at the time to avoid the area and keep pets on leashes.
In nearby Langford on Monday, a large adult bear that had become habituated to eating garbage was euthanized.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says the bear was seen in the Millstream Road area of Langford multiple times over the past several days and had adopted urban foraging behaviour.
Meanwhile, there have been multiple bear sightings in Saanich this week, as sightings have spiked across Vancouver Island.
The conservation service is reminding residents across the region to secure garbage cans and to put them indoors if possible, to avoid attracting animals.
