New cougar control measures are making it easier for professional hunters to respond to complaints about problem animals in Saskatchewan. The provincial government announced in November it was introducing new rules to improve public safety by reducing conflicts with cougars. Ministry of Environment wildlife ecologist Mike Gollop said the changes give professional trappers and trained houndsmen easier access to deal with troublesome animals.

New measures

He said trappers who accidentally caught cougars are now allowed to keep the animals with a permit. Ranchers, who are allowed to kill predators to protect their property, can also obtain a permit to keep the big cat. "We're also allowing the RM, if they want to contract a predation specialist to come in and assist, try to remove cougars in a certain area, we will permit that if conditions are right," said Gollop. However, conservation officers and the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation remain the first point of contact for anyone with a cougar problem. They decide which method should be used to address the issue. Gollop said he was optimistic the new measures were helping to reduce cougar problems in the southwest, where run-ins between cougars, humans and livestock were more common.

Hunting not the solution

The provincial government has rejected requests to introduce a hunting season for the big cat. Gollop said that's because the ministry wanted to focus its response to areas with problem animals. "The problem with a hunting season is that you're taking random animals and they may not be at all associated with problems," he told CBC Radio's The Afternoon Edition. Gollop added that hunters often targeted larger animals, meaning a disproportionate amount of adult males could be killed. Because those adult males could be the primary predator to cougar kittens, he said hunting could be counterproductive to reducing the animal's population. Although Gollop said cats of any age and sex could become problem animals, "teenage" cats trying to survive after leaving their mothers were more often drawn closer to humans in search of food. "I think like all cats, they tend to be curious and the younger ones tend to be a little less wary," said Gollop.

'Don't act like prey'

He said it was rare to see a cougar, but advised anyone who crossed paths with one of the big cats to stand tall and hold their ground. "Definitely don't run, don't climb a tree, that sort of thing," he said. "Don't act like prey." "And remember too that they really are a curious animal so the fact that you see them watching you is not necessarily that they are stalking you."