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GOLD RIVER – A six-year-old boy from Gold River has been presented with some keepsakes to remind him of the day he led his little brother to safety after discovering they may have been seconds away from a cougar attack.
Environment Minister Barry Penner today presented Bryce Forbes, a Grade 1 student at Ray Watkins Elementary School, a cap and badge from the B.C. Conservation Service, as mementos in recognition of his quick thinking and concern for the safety of his five-year-old brother, Tucker, a kindergarten student at the same school.
On Easter Sunday, the Forbes family returned to their Gold River home after an outing to their cabin. The Forbes children went out to the fenced yard to play. They had been outside for more than an hour when Bryce noticed some movement from the corner of his eye. Then he realized there was a cougar in the yard just a few feet away.
Bryce told his little brother what was happening and then led him up some stairs to a workshop where he locked the door behind them. He picked up an extension phone and told his mother there was a “baby cougar” in the yard.
The RCMP were called and a police officer shot and killed the cougar out of concern for public safety. The animal was thought to be 18 months old and was undersized for its age.
“It’s a real pleasure to meet a young man who stayed calm, didn’t panic and made the right moves to get his younger brother out of the way of danger,” Penner told the youth in front of an assembly of the school’s entire student body of 165 children. “You recognized the danger and acted with coolness.”
Minutes earlier, Conservation Officer Pat Browne-Clayton made a Power Point presentation on cougar behaviour, including tips on how to avoid human/cougar conflicts and what do to minimize the chance of triggering an attack, should such an incident arise.
“Cougars are beautiful, powerful, intelligent animals that deserve our respect and admiration,” said Penner. “However, they can be very dangerous and it’s good for people, especially young people who are more vulnerable, to know how to handle themselves if they come in contact with one of the big cats.”
Most cougars are active in their search for food between dusk and dawn. It’s not uncommon for cougars to inhabit semi-rural areas all over B.C. Their main source of food is deer.
To reduce the risk of an encounter, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service recommends that:
· Children do not play in wooded areas and hike on trails alone.
· Smaller pets and/or livestock be kept within an enclosed area.
If you encounter a cougar, the Conservation Officer Service recommends:
· Never run from or turn your back on a cougar.
· Always watch the cougar and know where it is.
· Give the cougar room to escape.
· Pick up nearby children and small household pets.
· Raise your arms to make yourself look bigger.
· Act aggressively, and if possible, throw rocks or sticks at the cougar.
· If actual contact takes place, fight back, don’t play dead.
If you encounter an aggressive wild animal, report it by calling the Conservation Officer Service call centre toll free at 1-800-663-WILD (9453).
To view the Ministry of Environment’s Cougar Smart Power Point presentation online, go to: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/pac/docs/cougarsmart.ppt
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Communications Director 250 387-9973 |
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