Bowen Island community divided as it tries to coexist with cougar

After hearing a strange shrieking noise outside of her home one evening last month, Bowen Island resident Jani Whittaker did what all Bowen Island residents do when they’re looking for answers: she took to Facebook.

Ever since a cougar made its way from the mainland to the island almost three months ago, the community’s social media pages have been awash with questions about sightings, sounds and strange goings on. Some residents have posted warnings of deer carcasses spotted on the side of the road; others have described hearing strange caterwauling in the night.

The feline’s arrival in June marked the first time a cougar had visited Bowen in 20 years, and its presence immediately became a point of contention for many of the island’s outspoken residents.

“It’s pretty much 50/50 on the island at the moment,” said Whittaker.

“Lots of people are of the ‘kill it, have done with it’ opinion. They say they want to walk the trails without being concerned for their safety.”

Other residents have voiced concerns over letting their children walk to school alone in the morning, she said, or leaving their livestock unattended outdoors. Since the cougar’s arrival in June, there has been no reported harm to either livestock or pets.

As for Whittaker herself, she joins a large portion of the island who are in the “live and let live” camp.

“The animals were here long before we were, and this is their environment, and our urbanisation has marginalized their territory,” she said. “Rightfully, this is his home. There is no reason why we can’t coexist.”

In its three-month tenure on the island, the cougar – assumed by the community to be a male – has certainly made efforts to make its presence known. Whittaker said there is at least one report of the big cat exploring Snug Cove, the main entrance to the island where most of Bowen’s population resides. Other sightings tend to be flagged between Tunstall Bay and Eagle Cliff Road on either side of the island. Often, he’s spotted on the coast, looking out across the water to the mainland that he departed, she said.

“He seems to be pacing back and forth on the west side, looking for a way off,” Whittaker said.

Whittaker said it looks as though “he’s not happy,” and “he doesn’t want to be here,” and while she doesn’t want the animal to be booted for the same reasons other locals do, she is concerned for the cougar’s welfare, with it “trapped” on such a small isle.

Elsa Heath – a field technician for global wild cat conservation organization Panthera, who was raised on Bowen Island and lived there for 18 years – said the community might have to learn to coexist with the cat for a while longer. While the decision to remove it would lie with the BC Conservation Officer Service (COS), Heath said there would be no reason for officials to interfere unless the cougar causes danger to animals or people. Contrary to residents’ fears, she said, it is likely content with its new dwellings.

“It's true that cats seek out other cats and it's true that Bowen Island is smaller than a typical range for a Pacific Northwest cougar, but if there are plenty of deer and people allow it to live there, it can live there,” she said.

Heath, looking at photos of the cougar posted online, said the feline is likely a young male due to the width of its neck and the smaller size of its head. Clearer imagery would be needed before she could make more comments or determine any other qualities, she said.

Unclear imagery hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from churning on Bowen, however. The narrative currently swirling among residents is that the cougar travelled to their shores after its mother kicked it off the neighbouring Keats Islands. Some locals, unaware of how much ground a cougar can cover in a day, are convinced the multiple sightings mean there is more than one mountain lion prowling the isle.

Elle Dee, a resident of Bowen for over 30 years, said the arrival of the cougar has highlighted a gap in the community’s knowledge that would do well to be filled.

“I don’t really understand how people choose to not arm themselves with education or a plan, and instead just want the animal to be taken care of, when the very reason they live where they do is because they want to be close to nature,” she said.

“Regardless of what happens with this cougar, people's attitudes and behaviours need to change, and, above all, people need to better educate themselves on the wildlife that we’re co-existing with … Swimming to an island is not abnormal behaviour for a cougar. Taking advantage of easy pickings for food sources is not abnormal behaviour. It’s just not typical for where we live. If people knew this, knew more, there would be far less fear.”

Wildsafe BC’s Kathy Murray suggests residents can reduce the chances of encountering the animal by puma-proofing their homes, ensuring that no food sources are left out, livestock are securely contained, fruit trees are managed, garbage is cleared and pets are fed within the home.

Should a cougar be encountered, Murray advises to “gather your group” and pick up any small children or pets, face the animal, make yourself look large and, in the “incredibly rare” occasion of an attack, use rocks or sticks to defend yourself.

“Cougars are predators, so in all cases you must fight back,” she said.