Trap set for cougar on B.C. island to be removed by conservation officers

Conservation officers are expected to remove a large cougar trap from a Gulf Island just off the coast of Nanaimo, B.C., after the case of a prowling mountain cat went cold.

Residents of Protection Island, B.C., spent most of the holiday season wondering where a large cougar would be spotted next after it was seen numerous times within a one-week span.

On Dec. 27, the cougar was caught on two separate doorbell cameras slinking in the dark of the night.

The cougar is pictured on Protection Island, B.C., on Dec. 27, 2022. (Submitted)In one video, the impressively-sized cougar easily climbed a large fence directly in front of a family's doorway.

Homeowners say the big cat had been seen several times the entire week before the security cameras picked it up.

In response to growing fear for small pets and children, B.C. conservation officers travelled to the island and installed a trap designed to capture the cat alive.

Since those sightings, however, the B.C. Conservation Officers Service says no new reports have been called into its dedicated RAPP line, and no activity has been monitored at the trap site.

In a social media post on Tuesday, an individual who had helped conservation officers organize the installation of the trap said the trap would be removed on Thursday.

The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change confirmed that date with CTV news.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is still encouraging anyone on Protection Island who sees the cougar to call its RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP).