Our cougar’s time is running out

Two years ago a young male cougar swam to our island. Its not clear where it can from, but most likely it crossed the Collingwood Channel from Keats Island, as distance of nearly 2 kilometres at its shortest point. The cougar took up residence on Mount Collins and the west side of Mount Gardner, and has made Bowen Island its home. Until recently it has been surviving on deer, of which there are plenty on Bowen.  It has kept to itself and very few people have seen it, although hit has been captured a lot on camera. Those that encountered it have often been deeply moved by the animal.

In the last month or so it has turned its attention to livestock and has killed three sheep. Its shift to domesticated animals means that it is now targeted for removal by conservation officers.  It won't be relocated. It will trapped and killed. Eating sheep has sealed its fate and soon we will be cougar-less again on Bowen.  

There is also at least one black bear on Bowen at the moment.  Possibly two.  They will not be long for this world either, as this is not a very bear-safe community, meaning that we don't generally have good practices around securing garbage and other common practices to make it safe for bears to cohabitate with humans without become fatally attracted to our stuff.  

We are a wild-feeling place, but not a wilderness. It's not possible for wild predators to live safely here. Nevertheless, I feel blessed in a strange way that the cougar and these bears have chosen to be with us, even though it was always a death sentence for them. They put the question about who we are, what we have done to this place, and what we can really say about how we live in respect of the island, the sea, and the flora and fauna which we live amongst.