Conservation officers euthanize cougar that killed a sheep near Esquimalt, B.C.

VANCOUVER – A cougar has been euthanized after it killed a sheep near Esquimalt Lagoon west of Victoria.

B.C. conservation officer Scott Norris says the animal was killed at a hobby farm located in an area surrounded by subdivisions and walking trails.

Norris says the cougar showed no signs of leaving the property after killing the sheep, despite the owner’s presence on the property.

He says that type of behaviour from the predator is rare, as they are usually secretive animals.

Because of that behaviour, the attack on the sheep and the population of the area, Norris says conservation officers decided to euthanize the cougar.

He says the cougar population on Vancouver Island is high but most don’t hunt in urban areas, adding there are many sightings each year that the B.C. Conservation Officer Services doesn’t need to respond to.