Deer Lake Park’s coastal bobcat has been sighted again, and it’s venturing into more urban areas.
Alicia Brady-Deaust said her parents’ neighbour saw the predatory creature in November in the northwest part of the woods, just south of Deer Lake Parkway. It was approaching the surrounding neighbourhood, following a gravel path before heading back into the forest.
“They were home and they got a phone call from the neighbours saying, ‘Be careful if you’re going outside because we’ve just seen a cougar or something,’” she said, saying the bobcat was spotted on a nearby gravel path.
“I grew up at that house and I’ve seen coyotes, but not even on our street. You’ll hear them in the woods or if you’re walking in Deer Lake you may catch sight of one, but this was quite bold, being out where it was.”
Brady-Deaust said she’s seen signs in the area warning the bobcat in the park, but never expected it to go near people’s homes. She said she fears development is causing habitat fragmentation, in which environmental areas are cut down to make room for roads and buildings.
“It just occurs to me that, we’ve never seen these types of things before – certainly you wouldn’t expect to see this kind of thing in Burnaby,” she said. “I’ve seen some not-so-good-looking coyotes in the last while in and around Burnaby, and all of that just kind of made me think this is part of a bigger issue.”
But conservation officer Jack Trudgian said the bobcat may stray outside of the forest while preying on other animals.
“It could be chasing rabbits, skunks, raccoons,” he said, noting that bobcats are nocturnal and typically hunt at night or early in the morning. “They may get cut off in urban areas, but this one seems to always find its way back to Deer Lake.”
The bobcat is believed to be the only one in the Deer Lake area, according to Trudgian. He said it may have come from up on Burnaby Mountain and settled down in the forested area a few years ago.
“There’s lots of food sources for him there, so that’s probably why he keeps sticking around. He’s got the place to himself.”
Trudgian said he regularly receives calls about the bobcat, but noted it’s not a threat to the public.
“We’re not saying it couldn’t be dangerous, but really, bobcats are way in the lower end of any type of public threat,” he said. “Just leave it alone and let it move its way on wherever it’s going.”
Nonetheless, Brady-Deaust said she’ll be a bit more cautious the next time she visits her parents.
“I stopped there yesterday… and getting out of the car in their driveway was a different experience,” she said. “I was looking around to make sure of my surroundings.”
