Deer with lopsided ear, cougar with a collar: These were the most unique calls B.C. conservation got last year

A bear is seen eating out of a bird feeder in this undated image. (Shutterstock)

Conservation officers in B.C. respond to thousands of calls each year and while many are to report typical animal behaviour, other calls are certainly more unique.

On Sunday, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service released a list of 10 of the most unique calls made to its team last year.

"With our (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line averaging 30,000+ calls each year, we’re bound to get a few that leave us wondering or scratching our heads," BCCOS wrote in its post.

More than 2,200 of the calls made between January and November last year were about cougars. One call, however, may have involved a more domesticated feline.

"Caller isn’t sure, but there may have been a cougar in her backyard two days ago drinking water from her pond," a description of one of the calls said. "She mentioned it had a pink collar at the end of the call."

Another caller said her own indoor cats were perturbed by an animal outside.

"Caller advises that her two indoor cats were screaming and freaking out last night," the BCCOS summary said. "The caller woke up to something jumping against the bedroom window. The caller thinks it was a large cat."

Last year, two cougars were linked to a string of attacks on dogs. One, a young German shepherd puppy, was carried away by a cougar near Anmore in March of last year. Conservation officers monitored the area for weeks and said they witnessed an escalating pattern of concerning behaviour. Two cougars believed to be involved in the attacks were eventually killed by officers. 

Last year also saw thousands of calls related to bears. More than 20,000 calls were made to BCCOS about black bears alone and on numerous occasions during the summer and early fall months, residents were warned to secure their attractants so animals wouldn't become food conditioned.

At least a couple callers had very persistent bears near their properties.

"Caller is frustrated that a bear repeatedly keeps damaging her shed to get to the garbage stored inside," BCCOS said in its post. "She is wondering how she can get compensated for the damage."

Another caller chose to move their birdfeed closer to their home after a bear damaged his fence to get to it.

"Caller reports a black bear that came to his property and got into a bird feeder in his yard, even knocking over a fence and post to access it," BCCOS said. "The caller stated he then moved the bird feeder onto the porch."

But calls about cougars and bears weren't the only ones to make the list. In one case, a call wasn't about an animal at all, but about someone needing help with their roommate. 

"Roommate was burning charcoal and cardboard in a portable barbecue directly under the caller's open bedroom window, which filled with smoke," BCCOS wrote. "The caller has health issues and roommate knows this. Caller would like someone to tell his roommate not to burn so close to the house."

Other calls on the list include:

• Caller states she saw a deer with a lopsided ear walking across the street.
• Caller advises that he was walking home and heard rustling in the bushes. He is not sure what it was but says it was not a cat, dog, raccoon or snake.
• Caller states an otter is sitting on a log and appears to be irritated with its mouth.
• Caller advises he has two nests on his property from an unknown species. He thinks they could be porcupines but not entirely sure.
• Caller reports seeing a light brown and white animal in his backyard sleeping. The caller is very concerned why this animal chose his backyard to rest in (no address or further animal description was given).

BCCOS asks residents to report dangerous wildlife in an urban area if they're getting into human-supplied food sources or if they're spotted in a public location during daylight hours.

"Observing dangerous wildlife in the woods, back country, forested areas or a wildlife interface is normal," a notice on the BCCOS website says. "We recommend that anyone spending time in these areas should ensure that they are familiar with how to react should they encounter dangerous wildlife."