A cougar has been put down after killing a goat and attacking a donkey.

The BX animals came in conflict with the predatory cat over the weekend.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 the little hobby farm livestock that end up as prey for cougars more often than not,乌鸦传媒� conservation officer Micah Kneller said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 totally normal for cougars to attack, certainly goats because they乌鸦传媒檙e small.乌鸦传媒�

The Conservation Office Service caught the cougar Monday evening, just 50-100 feet from the Hartnell Road farm.

乌鸦传媒淥nce a cougar kills something, they drag it away, feed on it, bury it and hide and continue to feed on it,乌鸦传媒� said Kneller.

Unfortunately, the mature male tom had to be euthanized as they cannot be relocated in these situations.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e probably not going to stop doing that and we don乌鸦传媒檛 want to see them hunting where we乌鸦传媒檙e living.乌鸦传媒�

But there is something residents can do to protect both cougars and their livestock.

乌鸦传媒淭hey should always be locked up at night,乌鸦传媒� Kneller said of farm animals. 乌鸦传媒淭hen you乌鸦传媒檙e doing what you can to prevent predators from killing them.

乌鸦传媒淚f you乌鸦传媒檙e not doing that it really isn乌鸦传媒檛 if, it乌鸦传媒檚 when especially around here. We live in an area where there are predators. There乌鸦传媒檚 a really healthy cougar population living around.乌鸦传媒�

In the recent BX case, the landowner normally night pens his animals but for some reason, he wasn乌鸦传媒檛 able to get them in that evening.

Unlike bears, cougars will not break into a building to get at an animal.

They are also not confrontational animals and generally do not want to be seen.

乌鸦传媒淧eople have this natural fear of cougars more than anything else, and it乌鸦传媒檚 pretty unwarranted,乌鸦传媒� Kneller said. 乌鸦传媒淲e came within 10 yards of the cat, and once it realized we were there it just bolted. As soon as they know you are around, they don乌鸦传媒檛 want any conflict, they just take off.乌鸦传媒�

Anyone who encounters a cougar is urged to make eye contact with the cat so it knows you see it, make yourself look bigger and make noises, but don乌鸦传媒檛 squeal. Be sure, too, to keep pets on leashes.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 exceedingly rare that they attack,乌鸦传媒� said Kneller, noting that while there was recently an attack in the Lower Mainland, there hasn乌鸦传媒檛 been a fatal attack since the mid-乌鸦传媒�90s.

The COs are happy to report that a few moose that have been hanging around the area Jan. 19 have moved on.

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