Saanich Police are warning residents of Gordon Head of a possible cougar sighting that took place today.

Police say they received a report of a cougar sighting near Gordon Head Middle School at 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

After searching the area, officers were unable to locate any large predators. As a precaution, police issued the warning “for awareness of those in the area”.

We received a report of a possible cougar sighting at 6:15 this morning by the Gordon Head Middle School. Police attended but did not locate the cougar. For awareness of those in the area. pic.twitter.com/wWuLsTIw8i — Saanich Police (@SaanichPolice) April 10, 2019

Last month, there were four cougar encounters in the South Island.

On March 29th, a 4-year-old boy near Lake Cowichan was attacked by a cougar in the afternoon.

Prior to that, there were three cougar sightings within three days. In one of the instances, a Saanich homeowner spotted the large cat killing a deer in their backyard.

See also:

If you see a cougar in your area, contact your local police detachment.

What to do if you encounter a cougar:

Never approach a cougar. Although cougars will normally avoid a confrontation, all cougars are unpredictable. Cougars feeding on a kill may be dangerous.

Always give a cougar an avenue of escape.

Stay calm. Talk to the cougar in a confident voice.

Pick all children up off the ground immediately. Children frighten easily, and their rapid movements may provoke an attack.

Do not run. Try to back away from the cougar slowly. Sudden movement or flight may trigger an instinctive attack.

Do not turn your back on the cougar. Face the cougar and remain upright.

Do all you can to enlarge your image. Don’t crouch down or try to hide. Pick up sticks or branches and wave them about.

If a cougar behaves aggressively: