A Vancouver Island resident had a surprise when she looked out her kitchen window Thursday morning: two juvenile cougars were playing in her yard.

乌鸦传媒淚 was just sitting in my kitchen, having coffee, getting my daughter breakfast, and 乌鸦传媒� I just caught a glimpse out of my kitchen window. I knew exactly what it was,乌鸦传媒� said Saffina Welch, who moved to the Buckley Bay area of the Comox Valley, from Vancouver earlier this summer. 乌鸦传媒淚 just made sure my dog was inside, because he sometimes likes to sleep on the deck. But he was [inside] so I grabbed my phone, went into the bathroom for a better viewing spot and started shooting.

乌鸦传媒淭he footage isn乌鸦传媒檛 good, because I believe in watching, as opposed to videoing. But it was a pretty cool thing to experience.乌鸦传媒�

Welch said she has observed many animals in the wild, but had never seen a cougar before.

乌鸦传媒淚 used to be a biologist, so I have spent a lot of time [studying] bears, wolves and other animals乌鸦传媒� so looking for a cougar, I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 expecting it to be in my back yard. It乌鸦传媒檚 been on my bucket list for a long time, so I乌鸦传媒檓 pretty happy, because I乌鸦传媒檝e got a lot of colleagues who乌鸦传媒檝e never seen one.乌鸦传媒�

Welch figures the pair to be approximately a year old.

乌鸦传媒淭hey looked like siblings. They didn乌鸦传媒檛 look big乌鸦传媒� a friend of mine with similar experience figures they were from last year乌鸦传媒檚 litter.乌鸦传媒�

She said she contacted the BC Conservation Service to advise officials of the sighting.

乌鸦传媒淣ot that I felt it was a risk乌鸦传媒� but I believe sightings like this should be reported - the good, as well as the bad.乌鸦传媒�

terry.farrell@blackpress.ca
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