BANFF – A cougar feeding on an elk carcass on Tunnel Mountain on Halloween prompted Parks Canada to put in a spot closure.
A member of the public reported a dead young male elk close to the hotel resorts on Tunnel Mountain, just near the start of the Star Wars mountain biking trail on Sunday (Oct. 31).
“We went to investigate and it was determined it was most likely a cougar that killed the elk,” said Dan Rafla, a human-wildlife co-existence specialist with Banff National Park.
“The cougar wasn’t there and the carcass had been fed upon, but there were a number of ravens and magpies, and a fox and coyote were seen in the area.”
Heading into the winter months, it is not unusual for cougars and wolves to prey on deer and elk adjacent to the Banff townsite.
“They’re travelling to their winter range, and in this case, the Town of Banff and the montane is part of that winter range,” said Rafla.
“The prey base increases and, of course, the predators follow. We occupy really high quality habitat and we expect to see more of these events as we progress into winter.”
Banff’s wildlife crew made a decision to remove the carcass in this case because it was very close to human developments, but also because larger male grizzly bears are still out and about.
In fact, Rafla said a grizzly bear sighting was reported on Tuesday (Nov. 2).
“With this carcass being so close to human use areas, and proliferation of a number of trails, and grizzly bears having a reasonable chance of coming across this carcass, it was felt it was prudent we moved the carcass from the landscape,” said Rafla.
Fortunately, after putting a lot of effort into the hunt, the cougar was able to feed on most of the elk carcass before it was taken away.
“Perhaps if it were a month from now when bears aren’t on the landscape and we’re able to relocate that carcass and still secure the area, that’s something we would consider,” said Rafla.
“But bears are also still on the landscape and often that animal that might be killed by a predator like wolves or cougar may be usurped by a large grizzly bear.”
A remote camera was set up at the site to check if the wild cat returned – but it never did.
“It’s very common for the cougar to come back. Typically it feeds on the carcass, then leaves the area and comes back to feed as opposed to staying on the carcass,” said Rafla.
“Because there’s a lot of human activity, that cougar may have fed the night before, been displaced in the day, and just left the area anyway. It never came back the following night.”
Efficient ambush hunters, cougars are solitary and can be active any time of day, but most often hunt at dusk, night and dawn. They eat deer, elk and bighorn sheep, but are typically shy animals and avoid humans.
About two weeks ago, Parks Canada received a report of a cougar in the townsite by the Whiskey Creek corridor, but it remains an unconfirmed sighting.
Rafla said it’s not uncommon to have occasional reports of cougars in or near town.
“These sighting are usually a block or two from these high quality habitats so it’s not unusual under cover of darkness for an animal to pop in… maybe there’s some deer it’s following,” he said.
“Sometimes an animal is misidentified as a cougar, but we always respond, but sometimes it’s quite difficult to determine unless there’s evidence, like tracks in the snow, of that animal being there.”
To play it safe, Parks Canada advises people to travel in groups, consider using trails around town during daylight hours only and to always carry bear spray.
Free-roaming pets may attract and be attacked by cougars so it’s mandatory for dogs to be kept on leashes at all times.
“Also remember that bears are still active and although this elk wasn’t predated upon by a bear, people should still keep their wits about them,” said Rafla.
Parks Canada asked that any carnivores sightings or carcasses be reported to Banff dispatch at 403-762-1470.
