A Vancouver Island woman was caught by surprise this week when she discovered a cougar chewing on a deer carcass in her backyard.
Nanaimo resident Mandy Weisbrod was drawn outside Tuesday morning when she heard a raven making racket on her property.
"Sure enough, the bird must have been squawking at the cougar and the deer. He wanted a piece, too," she told CTV News.
She ran back inside to get her camera and managed to get several shots before the big cat fled. Conservation officers were called in to take away the dead deer.
Weisbrod says the sighting has shaken up the neighbourhood.
"It just makes you more aware that nature is around you, and you do have to take your precautions to make sure that you and your family aren't affected by it," she said.
Wildlife experts say urban cougar attacks are rare, but people should still be prepared in case they come across a big cat.
"If people encounter a cougar, remain calm. Don't scream and don't run -- that can cause an attack. Talk in a deep voice, make yourself look big. If you have small children, pick them up -- it protects them and makes you look bigger at the same time -- and then back away slowly," conservation officer Stuart Bates said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jina You
