Two cougars killed in JNP
Ten days after a cougar attacked a family dog within the Jasper townsite, Parks Canada was forced to shoot and kill the animal on Jan. 25.
鈥淎fter reviewing the previous file photo, colour and facial markings this cougar matches the one that was involved in the domestic incident in the townsite,鈥� said Steve Young, a communications officer for Parks Canada.
The agency received an early morning report that the female adult cougar had been hanging around the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre.
鈥淔ollowing carnivore management guidelines and through the evaluation of recent events鈥攎ultiple sightings in and adjacent to high-use areas, a dog attack near a residential area and the animal鈥檚 level of habituation to humans鈥擯arks Canada Resource Conservation human-wildlife conflict staff determined that euthanasia was the best course of action to ensure the safety of residents and visitors,鈥� Young said.
鈥淭his was a very difficult decision for Parks Canada staff, who work so hard to protect these animals, but in the end, it was a necessary action to ensure visitor safety.鈥�
During the same morning a vehicle along Highway 16, near Jasper, struck another cougar. Parks human-wildlife staff quickly arrived at the scene, determining that the humane response was to put the animal down.
Young said since then there have been no new cougar sightings near town.
These are the first cougars to be killed in Jasper National Park since early 2015, when was one was struck by a train.
Tobogganing in Jasper:聽public info session
The closure of two popular tobogganing areas in town has been widely condemned by residents, sparking a petition demanding the municipality reconsider its decision.
In response the municipality is inviting locals to an information session on risk management and tobogganing in Jasper, which will be held on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m., upstairs at the Emergency Services Building.
Doug Wyseman, a risk management consultant, will lead the session. A question period will follow his presentation.
Wyseman will also be in town to review tobogganing areas with staff and work on potential next steps.
For questions or more information contact Christine Nadon, legislative services manager, at 780-852-4724 or [email protected].
Backcountry reservation doubles on opening day
Those keen to experience camping in Jasper National Park鈥檚 (JNP) backcountry were up and ready to go at 8 a.m. when the reservation system opened Jan. 25.
In a few hours, about 1,200 reservations were made鈥攎ore than double the reservations last year. However, 2016 was also the first year backcountry reservations were available online. In previous years, the booking could only be done on the phone or in person. So far 1,500 reservations have been made.
鈥淧eople are more aware now,鈥� said Steve Young, a communications officer for Parks Canada.
A week earlier, JNP opened its front country camping reservation system, which saw more than 8,000 bookings in just a few hours鈥攁 new record for the park.
