April 19, 2024 4.1°C
No further reports of wild cats in town
Posted on February 5, 2014 by Maple Creek Conservation officers suspect the lynx or bobcat reported to be hanging around town in the last few weeks has moved on.Authorities first investigated after a resident on the 500 block of Jasper Street reported seeing a lynx or a bobcat on his property last month. Raymond Roy said the animal entered his screened-in porch two weeks ago, apparently in search of food. He suspects it came in for his cat, but settled for the cat food that was set out before leaving. The large cat returned on the morning of Jan. 27, when Roy found it inside a trap he set in his backyard. He watched it from about two feet away, but the animal was able to escape from the trap. The following day, conservation officers set up a trail camera on the property in an attempt to identify it. The camera was in place for two days, and authorities report it only captured images of domestic cats wandering across the yard. “They had pictures of three different cats that kind of regularly showed up to get at the food in the trap,” explained Gary Provencher, Compliance Education and Training Unit co-ordinator with the Ministry of Environment. “They showed the homeowner the pictures and he said he’s sure he saw something bigger than a house cat, possibly a lynx or a bobcat, but we’re just not able to confirm that.” Provencher said it’s possible the lynx or bobcat simply moved on to a new area. “Sometimes wildlife has their own circuit that they do,” he stated. “They might show up in one spot and then be miles away the next day, so it might be just a random sighting if it was a lynx or a bobcat. But it sounds like it’s moved on, not causing this homeowner problems anymore.” As a precaution, Provencher suggested pet owners not feed their pets outside. Lynx and bobcats do not pose a danger to humans unless they feel threatened.
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