Victoria police warn pedestrians of cougar roaming near downtown

VICTORIA – A stealthy cougar's pre-dawn stroll through a Vancouver Island neighbourhood was interrupted early Tuesday as police in Victoria used the loudspeakers on their cruisers to warn residents to take shelter.

A statement from Victoria police said officers were called to the Selkirk Waterfront area along the east side of the Gorge Waterway at around 5 a.m. for a report of a cougar sighting.

They located the big cat, described as full grown, moving through bushes along the side of a building in the Burnside neighbourhood, about three kilometres north of Victoria's downtown core.

"Officers kept an eye on the cougar’s location and used their patrol car P-A systems to notify pedestrians and cyclists, and assisted in escorting pedestrians out of the immediate area," said the police statement.

"While uncommon, cougars have occasionally wandered into urban areas in Victoria in the past," said the BC Conservation Officer Service in a statement, after its members were called to assist in tracking the animal.

The cougar was not spotted again after about 5:30 a.m., police said.

Officers were posted outside a nearby school, to ensure students arrived safely, but no further signs of the cougar had been found.

Cougars have been spotted numerous times in or around Victoria in recent years, including separate cats prowling the James Bay neighbourhood near the B.C. legislature in 2015 and again in 2017.

Victoria police said they would provide updates on social media if there were any other sightings of the cougar seen early Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2023.