Officers from the Saanich Police Department and the Oak Bay Police Department converged upon the Camosun College Lansdowne campus after a cougar was observed in the early morning hours.
At approximately 1:10 a.m., a member of the security staff observed the cougar in the north parking lot of the campus in close proximity to Foul Bay Road. The animal casually walked away into a treed area while it was being observed. It was not observed by police, and there were no further reported sightings.
“The animal in question appeared healthy and had no obvious injuries” Sgt. Steve Eassie said. “It did not show any signs of aggression or predatory behaviour while being observed, and was likely wandering from green space to green space in search of food”.
There were previous reports in the media that a cougar recently tranquilized and removed from the James Bay area of Victoria may have been the same cougar that has been reported in Oak Bay in the past few weeks.
“While observing these animals in urban areas is somewhat rare, such was the case in James Bay during daylight hours, it would not be uncommon for these animals to be present in large green spaces, especially in the evening hours.” Sgt. Eassie said.
Owners of small pets are reminded that cougars generally move around in the evening hours and that it would be suggested to keep animals inside throughout the evening.
The BC Conservation Officer Service has been notified of the sighting.
File 2015-22485 / OBPD 2015-3671
Sgt. Steve Eassie #158