Squamish - "Crumpit Woods - Cougar sighting with rider, June 10" (Merged)

Got this email tonight thought I would share. I think it's the 4 legged version, not the Dentville version that enjoys being on all fours. :)

Ride safe

CRUMPIT WOODS TRAILS COUGAR SIGHTING
JUN 10TH '11
The Ministry of Environment Conservation Officer Service has issued a cougar warning in the Crumpit Woods trail area in Valleycliffe after a near miss this afternoon (Friday, June 10, 2011) involving a mountain biker and a cougar.

PLEASE use caution in the area and obey all signs that are posted.

Conservation Officer 24 Hour Hotline 1.877.952. RAPP (7277)

Move it to trail conditions if you want

1-close trails
2-allow hunters with dogs in to find and kill cat
3-??????
4-problem solved

Its funny(kinda) how they deal with this stuff up north and how wildlife reacts when they see people.

In Squamish,bears dont give a crap….you could run into them with your car and they wouldnt move

Up here,as soon as they see your truck,they high tail it.

Cougars?

Once detected,hunted and killed (in populated areas of course)

ah the crumpit wood nymphs will take care of it

rode crumpit on the trials bike yesterday for the first time. very cool area, didnt see any cougars though (or any mtbikers for that matter)

rode crumpit on the trials bike yesterday for the first time. very cool area, didnt see any cougars though (or any mtbikers for that matter)

…but they surely saw you. ;)

The rider is a friend of my wife's. She showed me his Facebook post of the event. The cougar attacked him but only jumped on his back wheel. He got up and the cougar did not back off until he threatened it using the bike as a weapon.

A little FYI:

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/cougsf.htm

If you meet a bar/pub cougar:

Always approach a bar cougar with caution. Although bar cougars will normally avoid a confrontation, all bar cougars are unpredictable.

Bar cougars feeding on a victim may be dangerous and unapproachable.

Always give a bar cougar an avenue of escape.

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

When the red light comes on do not run. Try to back away from the bar cougar slowly. Sudden movement or flight may trigger an instinctive attack.

Do not turn your back on the bar cougar. Face the bar cougar and remain upright.
Do all you can to enlarge your image, lie if you have too. Don't crouch down or try to hide. Pick up sticks or branches and wave them about making fake falis images will distract them.

:)

The rider is a friend of my wife's. She showed me his Facebook post of the event. The cougar attacked him but only jumped on his back wheel. He got up and the cougar did not back off until he threatened it using the bike as a weapon.

jesusfuckingchrist

wow, was dean…one of the nimby organizers…..
http://piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php?cat=C_Frontpage[HTML_REMOVED]content=cougar+in+squamish

Cyclist knocked off bike by cougar in Squamish

Best to ride in groups if possible By Andrew Mitchell
A training run for the Test of Metal resulted in a close encounter with an adult cougar in the Crumpit Woods area on Friday afternoon.
Dean Linnell was riding with three friends, but was in front by a few minutes when the cougar jumped onto his bike. The next thing he knew he was crashing off the side of the trail.
"I wasn't paying attention at all, I was completely cross-eyed at that point, but coming up the last switchback I saw something pounce off the mossy knoll beside me and saw brown coming down behind me," he said. "The next thing I know, I'm crashing off the trail. I think it missed me and got the back of my bike."
Linnell had a pretty good idea what had happened and was already yelling at the cougar as he got to his feet. "I was yelling and screaming and being aggressive, and as I looked up there it was on the trail, maybe four or five feet away from me."
Linnell picked up his bike and continued to be aggressive, but the cougar wasn't easily scared away.
He kept up the aggressive behavour and even managed to get the cougar to move a few feet off the trail when the group he was riding with caught up. Linnell yelled to the others that there was a cougar, and in a few moments there was a group of four riders challenging the cougar. It was maybe 20 feet away at this point, but didn't seem that concerned - even when the riders started to throw rocks in its direction.
"We didn't really scare it all that much," said Linnell. "One rock almost hit it in the head and it just deked its head to one side. It didn't even move its body. Eventually it leaped into the ravine and wandered away. It wasn't running, it just casually left."
Linnell said it was a large, healthy-looking cougar and estimates that it was eight feet from nose to tail.
Linnell and his party contacted the Conservation Office, which brought hound dogs to the area to track and tree the cougar so it could be darted and moved to another area. At press time, the cougar had not been located.
Linnell has since spoken to another rider who was training in the area that day on her own an hour after his group came through, but she didn't see the cougar.
The experience hasn't soured Linnell on riding the Test of Metal this Saturday, June 18, but Linnell said he will never ride on his own in that area.
As well, he said the encounter was a reminder that we recreate near wildlife and that you should know what to do when you encounter a predator. "The main thing is to make sure in that situation that you don't run away or show the cougar your back," he said. "I think as I rode by it, its chase instinct made it pounce at me - nothing could have prevented that because I never saw it. But after it attacked I didn't bolt or run away. It could have been a very different situation if I did."
The B.C. Conservation Office has a list of things to do if you encounter a cougar. Some of the advice includes staying calm and keeping the cougar in view, and backing away slowly while ensuring the cougar has an escape route. You should never run or turn your back on a cougar, or make sudden movements that could provoke an attack. If a cougar shows interest or follows you, respond aggressively by maintaining eye contact, showing your teeth and making loud noises. Arm yourself with rocks or sticks, and stay upright as much as possible when bending down to pick up rocks and sticks.
If a cougar attacks, fight back to show the cougar that you are a threat and not pray. Use anything as a weapon. Focus your attack on the cougar's face and eyes.
The advice is online at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/info/wildlife_human_interaction/docs/cougars.html.
Other advice suggests always walking or riding in groups and staying close together. Riders in California also put lights on the backs of their helmet when riding in low-light and stickers on the backs of their helmet that resemble eyes to make cougars think they're being watched.

Scary stuff.

I was in there on Saturday evening. Started up Farside after seeing the sign about the cougar. Got a little ways up and started getting the heebee jeebee's. Turned around and rode out down the logging road.

http://www.squamishchief.com/article/20110614/SQUAMISH0101/110619997/-1/squamish/mountain-biker-friends-fend-off-cougar

scroll down the page a bit…

From the comments…..

My friends and I often feel like Cougars. We don't like the idea of the forest trails being torn up by racing mountain bikers. We love the natural environment with it's trees, plants, animals and soil that is not worn into furrows, exposing tree roots and disturbing creeks. We like to breathe the fresh air, to slowly observe the plants and birds as we enjoy nature.

There is a serious issue being presented in a newspaper article…and some users have nothing else to do but a full-on Monica? Oh wow. Idiots.