UPDATE: City of Penticton rescinds cougar warning

PENTICTON – The discovery of a dead dog earlier this week, and unconfirmed cougar sightings, prompted a warning on the city’s Facebook page yesterday, Nov. 23.

There were two suspected cougar sightings, one in the Ellis Creek area and one near the Wholesale Club on Carmi Avenue.

The City has since concluded, based on further investigation, there is no cougar present.

City spokesperson Phillip Cooper says city work crews discovered a dead dog Tuesday night, Nov. 21, and there were fears the animal was attacked by a cougar. He says the city did not wish to take chances and issued the cougar warning.

Conservation officer Mike Stern says the dog's wounds were not consistant with a cougar or coyote attack.

“It was a deep wound to the dog’s rear end. The dog might have been in a situation with a deer, and the deer might have poked it, if it was buck,” Stern says.

Stern says conservation didn't receive any reports about cougar sightings in Penticton yesterday.

— This story was updated 10:30 a.m. Nov. 23, 2017 to include information from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service and the City of Penticton.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.