A cougar attack was foiled by a skateboard, but a second sighting this weekend of what might be the same dangerous mountain lion has caused Canadian authorities to close part of the Banff township where the attack occurred.
The original attack victim phoned in the cougar encounter to Parks Canada late Thursday. He gave limited information, causing officials to sweep the northern industrial part of Banff in search of the animal.
They haven’t yet caught the cougar , but they did locate the victim. He admitted that he was knocked to the ground and felt he had no choice but to battle the animal by hitting it away with his skateboard.
On Sunday, Parks Canada conservation manager Bill Hunt told CTV News:
“I think he was reluctant to contact us right away because he’d be in trouble for striking an animal inside a national park. But of course, in that situation you’re in defense mode and it’s totally appropriate.”
According to the fuller account from the unnamed victim, he was wearing earbuds, which allowed the cougar to sneak up and attack him from behind. Fortunately, the victim was able to stun the big cat with the skateboard he was carrying long enough to make his escape.
A second observer said that they saw the cougar chasing a deer on Sunday, so the animal is clearly still hunting in the area.
By the way, cougar, mountain lion, and puma are all different names for the same species.
Because this cougar seems to be displaying predatory behavior too near the popular tourist town, Parks Canada may have to euthanize it. However, they have said that they will try to understand why it attacked before they make their final decision.
Cougar attacks may be a rising problem in western Canada. Here’s another cougar attack victim’s story:
Meanwhile, the victim is probably thankful that he was carrying that skateboard to fight off the cougar attack.
[cougar photo by Forest Wander Nature Photography via Wikimedia Commons]
