Warning: The contents of this story may be disturbing to some readers, discretion is advised.
Most people haven't seen a cougar in their life — let alone twice in the span of one day on their own property.
Foothills resident Jessica Low had the misfortune of coming face-to-face with an aggressive young mountain lion while at home on Sept. 10.
"It was the scariest thing I've ever been through," said Low, who lives in a rural community near Priddis. "I was shaking physically for about four hours after the incident and then again when it came back later... I couldn't fall asleep till after two in the morning because I was so shaken up by it."
The encounter left Oreo, one of the mother-of-three's cats, dead at the predator's paws.
"I was home just with my youngest daughter who's five," said Low, describing the first encounter with the animal at 12:15 p.m. "Within like a minute she cried out to me that [Oreo] was dead... and I ran over and the cougar was standing at the window with our cat in its mouth, staring at my daughter."
Low says that her daughter regularly spent time unsupervised outside with the family's cats — an unsettling thought for the family.
"The most scary thing is it seems like [the cougar] has taken an interest in my daughter," said Low. "It's just really scary to think that she could have easily been sitting out there... we're now shuttling our kids out from our garage, we're not stepping foot outside."
Low lives near the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area and is accustomed to seeing deer and the occasional fox on the property, "but for [a cougar] to be out at like 12:15 in the middle of the day, it's very odd," she said.
The cougar, typically a nocturnal animal, exhibited aggressive behaviour during its daytime appearance at the home, including hissing and pawing at Low while being filmed. When the cougar reappeared that night, Low says it was loudly banging its head against the window.
According to Low, Alberta Fish & Wildlife officers visited the home after both incidents.
"Their summation at the end was that they think, although it was a weird time of day, it was a young cat, only about 18 months old, and it might have just been curious, it might have seen its reflection in the window, so overall they kind of said it's not super worrisome, but just to be extra careful," said Low on the officers' first visit.
"But when it came back, I think that made them extra worried about it," she continued.
In a statement, Alberta Fish & Wildlife confirmed that an investigation into "a recent incident involving a cougar that killed a young cat in a private backyard" is underway.
"Our officers are actively monitoring the situation and are currently evaluating the next steps to ensure the safety of both the residents and the wildlife."
According to Low, officers will be on-site today (Sept. 11) and a plan is being developed to locate and possibly capture the cougar.
"I would like it to be caught just because it has seem to take an interest in my daughter," said Low. "The fact that it came back, I don't know if I would feel safe ever letting her go outside knowing it's still out there somewhere."
Alberta Fish & Wildlife advises the community that while cougars are elusive and rarely interact with humans, it is important to remain cautious and report any further sightings at 1-800-642-3800.
More information will be provided when it is available.
