Staying safe in cougar country

What do Spanish Fork, Park City and St. George have in common?

They're among the towns in Utah in which cougars have been spotted this year.

Most of the cougars you'll see this time of the year are male cougars that are just a little more than a year old, and are looking to establish their own territory.

Photo by Lynn Chamberlain

"Most of the cougars you'll see this time of the year are male cougars that are just a little more than a year old," says Justin Dolling, game mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

"When they reach that age, it's time for them to establish their own territory. Their mom boots them out of their territory, and they start to wander."

Dolling says adult male cougars have large territories. And they have no tolerance for young males that try to move into their space. "Adult males will actually attack and kill younger males," he says.

The threat of being attacked forces young males to wander extensively in search of a place they can call their own. Couple their wandering with housing development that's gobbling up their habitat, and a perfect recipe for cougar sightings in residential areas is in place.

Tips

If you live in cougar country, Dolling provides the following tips to lessen the chance you come in contact with a cougar:

• Do not put food outside for your pets. The food could attract cougars to your yard.
• Keep your pets indoors at night. Pets are easy prey for cougars.
• Outdoor lighting and motion-sensitive lighting are a deterrent for the secretive cougar. Lights also make cougars that are approaching your home visible.
• Watch your children closely when they're playing outside. And bring your children in before dusk. That's when cougars start to hunt.
• Make your yard deer-proof. If your landscaping is attractive to deer, cougars will follow the deer and stay close to your property.

Here are three things you can do if you encounter a cougar:

• Do not run from a cougar. Running can make the cougar think you're its prey, and the cougar may pursue you.
• Make yourself look intimidating by raising your arms and waving them. Speak loudly and firmly.
• If you have children, pick them up. Try to pick your children up before they panic and run. As you pick your children up, keep an eye on the cougar, but don't make direct eye contact with it. Try not to bend over too far or turn your back to the cougar.

Here are two things you can do to avoid encountering a cougar in the first place:

• Hike with other people and make noise. Cougars will usually leave groups of people alone.
• If you're hiking with pets, keep them on a leash and close to your group. If you let your pet roam, a cougar might attack it. Or the roaming pet could irritate a cougar that's trying to avoid your group. If you keep your dog on a leash, your dog will also be a good warning system that will let you know if a cougar is nearby.

Free brochure

More tips about how to stay safe in cougar country are available in the DWR's Living in Cougar Country brochure. The free brochure is available at wildlife.utah.gov/cougar/pdf/cougar_brochure.pdf.