3 cougars stalking people shot in Canada

PRINCETON, British Columbia, July 15 (UPI) -- Three cougars shot in the past two weeks after being spotted apparently stalking people is a rare occurrence in Canada, a conservation officer says.

One of the big cats was killed by a conservation officer July 3 near a campground in Princeton, British Columbia, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.

The second was shot by a Princeton area man after being seen following two girls tubing down a river. The next day, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer killed a third cougar spotted hanging around a softball tournament.

"It's not normal, that's for sure," said provincial conservation officer Al Lay, who has spent 29 years in the field. "This is very, very uncommon."

All three cats were fairly young and healthy, the CBC said. They may even have been siblings.

In two other recent incidents, two British Columbia women fended off cougars that attacked their children.

Then on Sunday, a 22-year-old man was pushed to the ground by an unknown animal while walking along a bridge in Vernon. Authorities said it wasn't clear if the animal in that incident was a cougar, bear or coyote. But the man suffered cuts to his arms and chest serious enough to send him to the hospital.