Cougar sighting - Grand Falls Windsor

[Chris]

My friend and I saw a cougar on July 13th 2016 off valley road in Grand Falls Windsor. We were camping in the area and had returned at around 10:30 to our tents behind the graveyard in the shale pitt off valley road. We had a few girlse and were taking photos before we decided to walk to the river to clean the fish. After we started walking towards the river int he dark we noticed a set of orange eyes coming in and out from a birch stand around 15-20ft away.

We debated on whether it was a fox or coyote and then walked closer to the area where the eyes were appearing. When we both put our LED headlamps on the eyes the animal slowly walked in front of the birch stand and exposed itself; roughly 5ft long, tan fur and a long tail with a distinct bend in it. The animal's back was also somewhat curved and it had a white chest. There was no mistaking that it was a cougar. We panicked and put our fish into the cooler by our tents and placed a large rock on the cooler so the animal would not get into the cooler. We then grabbed a combat knife and a large birch tree branch and began to exit the area immediately, walking back to back. The cougar followed us for around 40-60ft to the area where the car was parked.

We ended up calling the RCMP to come and help us retrieve our camping equipment and they arrived with 3 officers and helped us get our equipment. By that time the cougar was gone (probably scared by all the cops that showed up - they were talking and had flashlights). We spent the night in the car in a parking lot.

The next day wildlife called us and said they went to the area and found no tracks (the area is all peat and grass, very little mud). I suggested they set up trail cameras or scratching posts as we also believed we may have had an encounter with the animal the previous night before the actual sighting. They agreed that it was a good idea to set up trail cameras or traps. I called them over a week later and they said they never set up any trail cameras because the area was frequented by fishermen and their cameras would run out of battery.

I am absolutely sure of what we saw, it was a cougar there was no confusing what this animal was once it was in our field of view. Wildlife either does not care that they are here or does not want to accept that they are here because I am disappointed with their efforts to locate the animal. I have spoken to others in the area who have seen cougars within 10km of our sighting; they are present on the island there is no mistaking it.

[Peter Emberley]

Wow, great story. The trail cams were a great idea. I'm surprised they didn't put the cams up.