A reported cougar sighting in Oak Bay last Friday, October 16, has turned out to be false. As reported in the Times Colonist, a young girl “cropped a photo of a cougar that was shot and killed in Edmonton last year”, saying it was a photo of a cougar taken near Central Avenue and Monterey.
This photo incident clearly demonstrates the importance of science and evidence based information over anecdotes, speculation and urban myths.
As such, the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society is glad to have been invited to participate in the CRD-led deer count that will take place in Oak Bay in late October and early November, as the final step in the Regional Deer Management Strategy.
Recognizing that in order to establish an accurate baseline of the deer population, along with capacity and movement patterns, there needs to be multiple counts over an extended period of time (at least quarterly), we look forward to conducting further deer counts and are exploring a variety of ways to conduct such counts in the most scientific, effective and accurate manner.
We will keep you informed!