Proximity to the mountains and hiking trails is one of the reasons people prize living on the North Shore.
Our natural spaces calm and refresh us. So sometimes it’s easy to forget that wilderness is still that — wild.
Recent cougar sightings have been a pointed reminder. But hardly a reason to be worried.
When you live on the edge of the forest, the presence of wildlife shouldn’t be unexpected.
Conservation officers aren’t even certain that all the recent sightings have actually been of cougars. If they are becoming more common, however, it’s important to realize that says as much about us as it does about the cougars. It reminds us that we’ve decided to build and live in their habitat.
That when we head out on the trails, we’re the ones increasingly heading into woods that they’ve always called home. And that when we’re careless with our own garbage, we create food sources that draw these animals away from their normal habits.
That — as the unfortunate recent shooting of the cougar in West Vancouver showed — is more likely to have a bad result for the cougar than for us.
Aside from the now-getting-old jokes about human “cougars” on the North Shore, these animals have always been part of this area.
It’s fine to be alert in the woods. But that’s no reason to hit the panic button.
If anything, we should celebrate — and be reassured — that wildlife still roams our natural spaces, whether or not we actually have a close encounter with it.
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