🚀 go-pugleaf

Has their source of food disappeared?
Are they migrating north from the US?
AFAIK both attacks occurred early in the a.m...
According to CBC news, they're retraced both the skier's (and the
cougar's) tracks and the cougar had stalked her for quite some time.

http://www.banffcragnewspaper.com/News/news1.html
<snip>there is obviously something going on that we're not sure about,
and until that happens people need to take a little bit of
precaution,<snip>



LINKS:
http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca/wld/pub/cougar.htm
http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/cougar.html
http://www.apos.ab.ca/cougar.htm
http://www.islandnet.com/~scott/facts.htm
http://www.vancouverislandabound.com/bearsafety.htm
Cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are rare. Documented
attacks usually show the cougar is injured or starving. It is important
not to let small children venture alone into the bush where cougars are
known to be present.

http://www.worldweb.com/ParksCanada-Banff/hazards.html
Cougar attacks on people are rare, but it is still important to discuss
safety with your family. Children and crouching adults are most at risk.
Never leave your children unattended. Avoid being alone on hiking trails
at dusk or dawn, and keep pets leashed at all times. Do NOT stare into a
cougar's eyes, run or crouch down. Pick up small children and back away
slowly.




http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/01/02/cougarbanff010102

Threat of marauding cougars worries town of Banff
WebPosted Wed Jan 3 19:12:34 2001
BANFF, ALTA. - Officials in Banff, Alberta, have been knocking on doors
warning people the cougar that killed a 30-year-old woman on Tuesday may
not be the only cat to worry about.

They're repeating warnings to skiers and hikers to stick to main streets
and to go out only in groups.
Banff National Park wardens found a cougar standing over the body of
Frances Frost near Lake Minawanka, just outside the town of Banff, on
Tuesday.

Frost was living at her family's condo just outside the park and was
cross-country skiing when the cougar attacked her.

She had recently been named dancer-in-residence at the Banff Centre of
the Arts.

Park officials immediately killed the animal.

No sign why cougar attacked

The park's chief warden says the killing by the cougar was a rare act.

"I'd like to stress this cougar was exhibiting highly unusual behaviour
and we may never know what caused this attack," Ian Syme said at a news
conference Wednesday.

An autopsy shows it was healthy, and there's no indication, so far, why
it attacked.

Syme said the cougar apparently stalked Frost. The animal hid behind a
tree and attacked her from behind as she skiied by on the trail.

Park officers are continuing to track the movements of cougars in the
area.

They say cougars are coming closer to the town because their food supply
� herds of elk � are also coming closer.

Multiple cougar sightings reported

It was the third incident involving a cougar in and around the mountain
town in the previous 24 hours.


Banff, Alta.
At about 5 a.m. Tuesday, a cougar attacked an Alaskan Husky sleeping in
its doghouse.

"I came out and the cougar had Sarah by the back of her neck," said
owner John Peck.

Both the cougar and the dog ran off, trailing blood in the snow. Peck
said he thinks the family pet is still alive.

A couple of hours later on the other side of town, a cougar stalked a
woman and her dog along a trail near the Banff Springs Hotel. She ran to
a nearby home to seek help.

"The lady feared for her safety, so she started yelling and screaming
and some local residents essentially came to her rescue," said park
warden Doug Eastcott.

Park officials said the woman came upon the cougar as it fed on the
carcass of a recently killed elk.