# Cougar spotted in Atlantic Canada



## NicoleS11 (Nov 21, 2008)

A cougar attacked and killed a horse and llama in the past couple weeks around my town in Alberta.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

I am in the southern tip of Nova Scoita, never heard of the sighting. A year or two ago there was "sighting" behind the place I use to ride. I know the people that own the land behind the riding school and think it was that family that just wants to scare people away from their property. Also they hate the owner of the riding school. Of course once one person "sees" a couger everyone does around here. (if they did see something it was probably a dog lots of large yellow dogs around)

Don't worry about it, the coyote scared wasn't really bad either they were always there, people just became more aware of them. My old horse use to have a loner coyote that would come into her field to catch the rabbits. No harm done, if it had threatened her she would have stomped it to a pulp. Plus cats go missing all the time, when they get sick or die they usually leave home I think people just labeled in coyote, same with chickens missing, minks will brake into and kill them.


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## Bearkiller (Aug 10, 2011)

Cruiser said:


> I am in the southern tip of Nova Scoita, never heard of the sighting. A year or two ago there was "sighting" behind the place I use to ride. I know the people that own the land behind the riding school and think it was that family that just wants to scare people away from their property. Also they hate the owner of the riding school. Of course once one person "sees" a couger everyone does around here. (if they did see something it was probably a dog lots of large yellow dogs around)
> 
> Don't worry about it, the coyote scared wasn't really bad either they were always there, people just became more aware of them. My old horse use to have a loner coyote that would come into her field to catch the rabbits. No harm done, if it had threatened her she would have stomped it to a pulp. Plus cats go missing all the time, when they get sick or die they usually leave home I think people just labeled in coyote, same with chickens missing, minks will brake into and kill them.


 
Yeah, and predators only eat the sick and the weak also. Everyone knows that.:lol: Sounds like the wolf propaganda they like to spew around here. Then you see a cow moose, with half of it's face eaten off, starving to death in a field full of grass. 


Don't worry about the cougar. The people and government agencies who deny their existence or minimize their impact on local wildlife are far more dangerous....................


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## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

What makes me mad is that my friend reported the sighting, but they completely ignored him saying that there are no cougars in Nova Scotia. It was spotted less than a mile from an elementary school and was walking across the main road. It actually stopped in the middle of the road and looked at him for a good few minutes before slinking off into the trees. 
And on the coyote issue, I do worry as a coworker had to spend 5 hrs in a tree once because he was surrounded by a pack of coyotees. I honestly think they have been breeding with dogs- the ones now are much bigger than regular coyotes and have no fear of humans.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

Around here they have to out due one another and leads to wild stories, although the giant lobsters are true, big as a three year old kid. lol

Gothicangel69 I have no doubt someone seen one, but it doesn't been they are out to eat people. Frankly I've been attacked multiple times by dogs let alone by coyotes, just because it is new a lot of people have a hard time excepting it is that it is. I know what people are circling in on coyotes something awful probably why they aren't scared. Being aware they are there is one thing being scared is another. People live around rattle snakes, some die, some get hurt but they still live with them? Sorry to hear about your friend that would be scary.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Coyotes chasing humans up Trees? What are you people feeding them back east?

We frequently chase the cougars in the winter, I've never seen one be agressive. Even though a 200 cougar could easily kill he 60lb dog chasing it. The almost never turn and wade into the pack of dog. Now they do get curious and I have them sneek up behind me to see what I was. Usually you can just jump and run yelling and screaming at them and they will flee.

And Coyotes. I wish I could be so lucky to have a pack of them get close enough to make me want to climb a tree. They usually stand just about 700 yards out making it hard to hit them.

If you have both predators near you, Enjoy, It will be rare that you will actually see them, And I doubt they will ever actually bother you on your horse. Now some chickens may dissappear.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

You do read about an occasional mountain lion or grizzly snacking on tourists......


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

A mountain lion/ cougar showed up in Connecticut, same thing all the "experts "laughed at reports, till it got hit by a car, Google Connecticut Mountain lion and read the ABC news repor.


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## Bearkiller (Aug 10, 2011)

The one in connecticutt was originally from south dakota. Those things can hike............. 


Painted horse, I agree with everything thing you said. I just hate it when people act like predators are really misunderstood vegans. LOL. They are good at what they do, when they want. In 2001 I turned 2 dogs out on a lion track and the lion had them killed and eaten before I ever figured out where they went. They were my 2 best dogs and although 99.999999% of the time the lions run, there is the occasional bad day. :shock:


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Isn't that the truth.


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## Carleen (Jun 19, 2009)

Are they not common on the East coast? We have them here all the time.


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## Hrsegirl (Mar 16, 2010)

There have been quite a few sightings in my area, which is central North Dakota. Everyone said there was no such thing as mountain lions in ND. No one believed until someone got pictures, and someone's dog was hurt by one. 
A guy was out on his fourwheeler fencing, and his dog was with him. The dog wandered off, which was usual for this dog, and came back a few minutes later yelping with lots of cuts and lots of blood. When the owner of the dog turned around to see what the yelping was about, he seen a mountain lion about 50 yards away.
The people that got the pictures live on a farm near Esmond, ND which is about 15 miles from where I live. They snapped a few pictures of the lions hanging out near the shelter belt that surround their farmstead. These pictures were not photoshopped, so they are real. Never think the lions aren't there, they slink around unseen and unheard until threatened or if they are hunting. 

It was advised in my area for awhile to carry a shotgun when out in the country alone on fourwheelers and horseback. I have not gone far from the farm since the reports were filed.

Just be careful, even though you may not believe the reports. North Dakota isnt that far from Canada, and the lions can travel great distances, so it is quite possible they are in your area too.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

A subspecies, the Florida panther, which is highly endangered, is said to not exist at all in Georgia. I saw one once near the Flint River. I was in my truck. He was near the bridge. He looked at me and ran away.

Some idiot just got sentenced for killing one in Georgia. Article
Not only did he kill an endangered species, he put it on his tailgate and paraded it around. Not a terribly bright idea.


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## Bearkiller (Aug 10, 2011)

Hrsegirl said:


> There have been quite a few sightings in my area, which is central North Dakota. Everyone said there was no such thing as mountain lions in ND. No one believed until someone got pictures, and someone's dog was hurt by one.


 
They have a season on them in North dakota. Strange way to deny their existance...................


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I could see Georgia opening a season on a non-existant animal. That's politics.
Everybody, including me, likes to see the cougar making a comeback. Nobody much wants them too close or too used to people though. I prefer not to become a dinner.............


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

We don't have cougars here in the east coast there is no food supply for them. The rabbit population booms once and a while (a long with the coyotes) but it rarely lasts. Even the black bears around here only get to 400 pounds or so but they are mostly like to eat your garden before your pet dog. Painted Horse is right, act all scary and most wild life will run away, even the ones that are use to people. Enjoy the wild life you seen, who knows how long it will be around. Plus cougars are probably are a lot less of a threat to people than a cow moose with a calf, a bull in runt or a mama bear with cubs. Which there is a lots around in NB and NS.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Same denials in Ontario. See this thread for a recap of other areas suffering the same:
http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/cougars-ontario-mnr-idiocy-95486/


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

I think it is possible that a cougar could come to NS, I just don't think a population could be sustained. There is barely enough food for a good amount of deer, and moose are not plentifully. Plus we're a small, swampy, wet, province. The government on the other hand, they will deny it to the day one is found dead some where on a road or something. I don't think they are any more dangerous than what is already found in the province.


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## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

I think its great that they are making a comeback around here, but I wish the province would stop pretending that they do not exist. If people know they are around, they can at least take precautions. This one was spotted around an elementary school, and I think the least they could have done was notify the school so the kids are not running around in the woods. Yes they will not normally attack a grown adult, but I'm sure little children would look pretty tasty and defencless to them.


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## Bearkiller (Aug 10, 2011)

Cruiser said:


> We don't have cougars here in the east coast there is no food supply for them. The rabbit population booms once and a while (a long with the coyotes) but it rarely lasts. Even the black bears around here only get to 400 pounds


 
First of all, 400 pounds is a big black bear, anywhere. Quit reading fairy tales. Second, mt lions don't eat rabbits as their main source of food. They mostly eat deer and some elk. Will they eat a rabbit? Sure, they'll eat any critter that presents itself. They will eat whatever is convenient. I found where one had killed a very large bull elk this summer. I also killed one in 2002 that had killed a 4 point bull elk. I caught it less than 5 yards from the elk. They don't eat grass and berries, either. They'll eat your "good amount of deer".  


All of that said, they are slow reproducers. There is no reason to think there are enough around to even make an imact on any wildlife populations.


Celeste, North Dakota has a huntable population of mountain lions. They aren't just fantasy there although, some states have laws making it illegal to shoot bigfoot...........


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

You're right about unneccessary fears. Never came across a mountain lion, even on vacation in SD or CO or WY or MT. We have way too many coyotes beyond my fences in the cornfields of Illinois. I'm only concerned about them vis a vis my chickens, and my house(barn) cats, but not my horses. I would only be concerned about curs, which (if you don't know this) are 1/2 coyote 1/2 dog, bc they aren't afraid of us. Just ANOTHER good reason to get your bxxch spayed!
BTW, don't know if I'll go camping in Yellowstone again, with the recent bear incidents.


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## Bearkiller (Aug 10, 2011)

A cur is not half coyote and half dog............... I have curs in my kennels. 

Here is an exact definition: *cur*  (kûr) 
_n._ *1. *A dog considered to be inferior or undesirable; a mongrel.
*2. *A base or cowardly person.

Here is what is commonly refered to as a cur: Cur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I have kemmer stock mountain curs and they may be the biggest babies in the world around people. I trust my kids around them without a second thought.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Funny, I always thought that _was_ the term. What Do you call a dog/coyote mix?


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

A couple of months back a lady I know had her 12 year old stallion killed by two mountain lions/cougars. He was in a 40 foot pen. I know this person personally so this isn't hearsay. The horse was in southeast Texas. It caused everyone to raise their eyebrows to say the least. Her husband found the horse and wouldn't let her go down to where the pens were. It was a shame. The man trained and owned Sarge had bred and raised this horse and finally the lady took him over as she was like a member of his family. I rode with them on a trail ride with this stallion and he was such a sweetie.

It does happen - it is a shock but to act like it would never happen or they aren't in the woods is silly. I think if Rimfire had been in a larger pen it wouldn't have happened. He was a HUGE foundation bred quarter horse. It was sad : (


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## Bearkiller (Aug 10, 2011)

Corporal said:


> Funny, I always thought that _was_ the term. What Do you call a dog/coyote mix?


 

Coydogs are the only thing I've ever heard them called but I'm not aware of any around here. It was my understanding that they are infertile like a mule and probably more myth than actual creature. In other words, it's possible to be done but most breedings aren't successful. I know a guy who intentionally tried to breed his female to a male coyote and never got it done over a period of years.........

Although wikipedia says they are fertile..........

Coydog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

That would explain the large coyotes we have down here. I've seen a few which were easily 70-80lbs and I know normal coyotes do not get that big. The ones I saw as a child were tops 40lbs. Very well could be that they are breeding with the local dogs (if that is possible)- which would explain the pack hunting, non-fear of humans, and large size. Alot of the coyotes around here are becomming infected with mange I've heard, which may decres the population come winter.


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