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reacnea tor comment weanesaay.shr- 'I'*JANA 6. PRUDENStaff WriterMEDICINE HATWhile wilderness enthusiasts should always be wary, wildlife officials say the Cypress Hills is definitely not cougar country“There’s not much for people to worry about in this area — not in terms of being killed and eaten anyway,” said Dale Eslinger, Area Wildlife Biologist for Medicine Hat and the surrounding region.Indeed, a fatal cougar attack on Frances Frost, 30, of Canmore who had been skiing in the Banff National Park when she was attacked,raised little concern in the*Elkwater area — even in light of suspected cougar sightings in the hills last November.Stories about the large cats first surfaced after a number of hunters reported tracks in the Cypress Hills, and a local horse suffered a strange animal attack.Even in light of these unproved appearances, however, Eslinger maintains there is little to fear from wild animal attacks in southeast Alberta.“There is no reason for concern at all. We don’t even know if there is even one resident cougar in the area,” he said. “Animals move and once in a while you get one a long way from where you expect to find them, but cougars in this area are rare. Extremely rare.”But in Banff, park wardens are becoming concerned the large cats are losing their fear of people as they compete with wolves for a limited supply of elk.FROSTBut even in light of the attack, the park’s chief warden Ian Syme insists cougar attacks are very rare and people should not overreact.“An attack on a human is extremely unusual ... I’d like to stress that this cougar was exhibiting highly unusual behaviour and we may never know what caused this tragic attack,” he said.Cathy Lefebvre, an employee of Eagle’s Nest Ranch and full-time resident of the Elkwater area, was surprised to hear of the suspected cougar sightings, but said she had no real concerns.“I haven’t really seen any animals around here at all, except for deer maybe. Certainly nothing dangerous,” said Lefebvre , from her home just southeast of Elkwater Park.“There’s very little animal activity here at all, but I guess we’ll caution people anyway.”But while carnivorous animals may not pose a threat in this part of the province, Eslinger says people should use common sense when dealing with animals of all kinds.“I know people have a lot of deep-seeded fears when it comes to animal attacks ... almost primal fears,” he says. “I don’t fear things when I’m out in the field in this area, but people have to think and be watchful just the same.“You can even get hurt by an elk or a deer, but we don’t really have any large carnivores like cougars in this area. The biggest threat may be rattlesnakes, but they’re not in the same league at a 11.”There were two unrelated cougar attacks Tuesday in Banff — the other on a resident walking her dog — sparking residents’ fear and rekindling the debate over humans and wildlife competing for the use of pristine country.Syme told a news conference the cougarbiologiststalked Frost as she skied.“The cougar leapt on her back, bit her neck, and I suspect that she may not (have known) what hit her,” Syme said.lw* . * -1;. V.V: lt;-y. •’ '-I mParks Canada has posted the following advice in hotels and public areas in Banff, where increased cougar activity has been noted over the last two weeks. If you see a cougar:□ Do not approach the animal.□ Face the cougar and retreat slowly — do NOT run or play dead.□ Try to appear bigger by holding your arms or an object above your head.□ Immediately pick up small children.□ Be aggressive. Shout, wave a stick or throw rocks to deter an attack.
Newspaper Details
Medicine Hat News
Medicine Hat, Alberta, CA
Thu, Jan 04, 2001
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Kevin S.
CA 23 Mar 2022
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