Video shows cougar attack dog near West Kelowna; man kills cougar with machete

A dog owner hacked a cougar to death with a machete near West Kelowna last week after it attacked his dog and it was all caught on video.

The cougar attack happened near Bear Lake Main Road north of West Kelowna on Sept. 22, and a portion of it was recorded on a cell phone and posted to YouTube on Sept. 27. The raw footage captures an intense fight ending with the death of the cougar.

The man killed the cougar lawfully, according to the Conservation Officer Service. It determined that he was the victim of an attack on his dog.

“We recognize the footage is graphic and can be distressing for many people,” the conservation officer service said in an emailed statement.

The video appears harmless for the first few seconds, with a cougar running along a dirt road in the forest, and then a larger brown dog begins to chase it.

As the camera shifts from the road towards a campsite, the cougar can be seen running towards another dog, a golden retriever, and in the distance a man can be seen running towards his camper.

A moment later, when the man turns around, it became apparent he was grabbing his machete as golden retriever was being approached by the cougar. But by the time he grabbed the weapon, the cougar had already pounced on his dog.

The video shows the man hacking at the cougar — clinging to the dog — until it was dead.

READ MORE: Cougar believed to be responsible for B.C. attack killed: conservation service

The injured dog didn’t immediately run away, but could be seen licking its wounds. The condition of the dog is unclear.

The incident was reported to both the RCMP and the Conservation Officer Service through the RAPP line.

“Conservation officers launched an investigation, which included interviewing the victim, witnesses and inspecting the site and surrounding area,” the conservation officer service said. “The investigation determined the cougar was lawfully killed.”

Officers described the adult female cougar as severely emaciated and said it had porcupine quills in its mouth.

It is not unusual for a cougar to view a dog as a food source, according to the conservation officer service, and roaming pets can be easy prey for cougars, so the public is reminded to keep them leashed.

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