The local disc golf course had an unexpected visitor.
A cougar was filmed roaming through Okotoks' Sheep River Park near the disc golf course at approximately 6:32 a.m. on Oct. 2.
The footage was captured by Okotoks resident Ian Temple, who set up a trail camera to observe the area's wildlife.
"I stuck [a trail camera] up for three weeks just for fun, to see what's going on," he said. "I saw a ton of deer, a few squirrels and this fella."
Temple has seen cougars in Foothills County before, but never in Okotoks.
"It's no surprise to me," he said. "People should be aware that they cruise through town."
As Okotoks is located in a wildlife corridor that many animals may go through as they make their way along the Sheep River Valley, residents are likely to encounter wild animals, ranging from deer and waterfowl to potentially more dangerous ones.
The Okotoks cougar sighting comes after two reported cougar attacks on small pets in the span of two weeks in Foothills County: on Sept. 10, a cougar killed a pet cat on Jessica Low's property near Priddis in broad daylight, while Becca Strasser and her family had a similar encounter near Millarville on Sept. 22, with a cougar attacking their Scottish terrier.
Cougar sightings have been reported in Okotoks and Diamond Valley on multiple occasions in the recent past.
Sightings of predatory wildlife have been on the rise in Okotoks, including a black bear seen roaming through Okotoks in September and numerous bobcat sightings reported earlier in October.
"Luckily, they're very shy animals, so I'm not too fussed about them, and I don't own dogs or cats or anything," said Temple, who was not alarmed by the footage despite living near the park.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication, but advises the community that while cougars are elusive and rarely interact with humans, it is important to report sightings at 1-800-642-3800.
Additional information on cougar encounters and wildlife management is available on the Government of Alberta website.
