'It was just planted on the log': Cougar encounter caught on camera in Campbell River, B.C.
A Vancouver Island man captured video of a rare cougar encounter near Campbell River, B.C., on Tuesday.
Mike Anderson, 38, was walking his dog in the Beaver Lodge Lands, a sprawling network of forested trails southwest of the city, around 6:30 a.m.
Anderson said he walks Sage, his German shorthaired pointer, through the trails twice a day. But Tuesday was the first time he's seen a big cat in that area.
"It was just planted on the log, trying to blend in," Anderson told CTV News. "I've walked past that log numerous times and it just caught my eye that something was different."
In the short video of the encounter captured on Anderson's cellphone, the cougar is perched on the log, staring directly at the man and his dog, seemingly ready to pounce.
"I just backed away," Anderson said. "It just stayed on the log until I couldn’t see it anymore."
Anderson, a hobbyist wildlife photographer, said Sage didn't even seem to notice the cat. "She just kind of looked at me funny because I was talking in loud voice," he said.
The Campbell River man says he won't be caught without a proper camera in the area again.
"That's my one regret," he said of the encounter. "It was a cool experience and I'm glad it happened. They're in there all the time it's just a matter of when we see them or not."
While Vancouver Island is home to one of the largest cougar populations in the world, attacks on people are extremely rare.
The province urges anyone who encounters a cougar to make oneself as large as possible and back away slowly, keeping the cougar in front of you and ensuring the animal has a clear avenue of escape.
Turning one's back on a cougar and running away may provoke an attack, according to the B.C. government's guidelines for avoiding a cougar attack.
"If a cougar shows interest or follows you, respond aggressively, maintain eye contact with the cougar, show your teeth and make loud noise," the province says. "If a cougar attacks, fight back, convince the cougar you are a threat and not prey."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.