Police in southern British Columbia are warning residents to be on the lookout for hungry cougars after three of the big cats were shot and killed when they were seen stalking children and adults in Princeton, about 300 kilometers east of Vancouver.
Conservation officers branded the cougars "killer cats" because they appear to have no fear of human beings.
The latest incident happened July 11 when police spotted a cougar prowling near a park packed with children playing and adults engaged in a baseball tournament.
Fortunately, it was across the street from an RCMP detachment, and police moved quickly.
"We were advised a cougar was within very close proximity to the playground," Sgt. Mike Savage told CTV News Channel, "we saw the cat crouched down, ready to spring forward. We discharged our firearms and destroyed the animal right there."
Savage said the cougar was about 60 pounds, with its age ranging from 16 to 18 months.
"When you get a cat, in particular a cougar that size very close to a playground that's loaded wth people," Savage explained, "this poses a significant risk to the public, and that risk has to be minimized."
Just a day earlier a local resident shot a cougar after it was seen observing children swimming in the nearby Tulameen River.
Savage said the cougars seem to be especially attracted to children.
"When they see small children, they see the erratic movements, they hear the squeaky voices of the children as they're playing, and confuse those with natural prey, " he said.
The first cougar was shot after being spotted on July 3 near a campground in the B.C. interior town.
Veteran conservation and police officers say they're perplexed by the rash of incidents, as the cougars appeared young and healthy.
"I think this is a unusual circumstance," Savage noted, "in my 29 years of policing I have never seen 3 cougars in under a week in a town much like this."
