Video shows confrontation between cougar and bear in B.C.

A wild encounter between two of B.C.'s top predators was caught on camera on Vancouver Island.

An uncommon encounter between two of British Columbia’s top predators has been captured by a trail camera on southern Vancouver Island.

The video, shared last week by the Sooke-based Wild Wise Society, shows a large black bear seeking refuge from a cougar.

The cat chases the bear off a trail and into some bushes before stopping in its tracks, seemingly satisfied with the bear’s hasty exit.

Experts suggest the cougar’s lack of interest in pursuing the bear is a sign of a simple territorial protest.

“Predators take big risks to avoid, not only conflicts with humans, but conflicts with other species and among their own species,” Wild Wise president Mollie Cameron says.

“Most of these predators are solitary animals, besides when they’re raising young or that brief period of time when they’re mating.”

The video was shared amid a noted uptick in cougar and bear activity in the region, including the arrival last week of a grizzly bear on nearby Texada Island, a small island in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland.

Read more: Grizzly bear sighting on B.C. Gulf Island prompts warning

“Our team was speechless seeing this for the first time,” Wild Wise wrote in a social media post attached to the video of the cross-species confrontation.

“The cougar wasn’t running fast; definitely not in attack mode,” the non-profit wilderness education group added.

“What we’re seeing here is likely classic ‘fight or flight’ behaviour – both species opting for avoidance rather than confrontation. It’s all about making a point and not risking unnecessary conflict.”