Canadian justice

[Emily]

Cougar shows up at rural funeral; everyone heads indoors except one fellow who goes home to get his rifle; neighbor shoots lion; authorities confiscate rifle.

This is from the Regina, Saskatchewan Leader-Post:

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/ ... 84&k=98469



Arcola woman angry farmers not allowed to shoot threatening cougars
Sylvia MacBean , for the Leader-Post
Published: Monday, April 07, 2008
ARCOLA (Special) -- Val Lees is angry that a neighbour's rifle has been confiscated after he shot a cougar she says made her fearful.
The Arcola-area woman says that recently when her family and neighbours were gathered at the rural home of Don Lees mourning the accidental death of a 17-year-old family member, a cougar appeared in the yard.
"It was like the cougar was stalking us," Lees said.

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After a neighbour, Harvey Holloway, was able to get in his truck, he drove home and returned with his hunting rifle. When he arrived back the cougar was still pacing outside the house. Lees said Holloway shot the cougar -- and she's angry because she says his gun has been confiscated by Saskatchewan Environment conservation officers.
"We were terrified. The children were playing out in the farmyard. We brought everyone inside along with the cats and dogs. The cougar just stood there watching the house," she said.
"Now, people are calling and when I go to Arcola, I am stopped on the street and they say the cougar should not have been shot. I feel the safety of my family, my children, my grandchildren and my neighbours takes priority over that cougar."
Val and Duncan Lees live within a kilometre of Don Lees' rural home and raise purebred Hereford cattle.
"Two nights before our old farm dog was anxious to get in the house. He never wants inside the house. We knew something was wrong outside," Val said.
The next morning she noticed the dog's dish was empty. Lees wonders if the cougar may have been on her deck.
"The conservation officers say the cougar is on the endangered species list. I think prairie farmers and their families should be on the list as well. Our cattle and their newborn calves out there in the corral are our livelihood. They need to be safe and secure," she said.
"I phoned the conservation officers and said that I feel it was unfair that they took away my neighbour's gun. If we are scared of a dangerous wild animal that is out in our yard at 2 a.m. who are we going to call?
"The conservation officer said we should call the (Turn In Poachers) line and someone in Prince Albert will answer and they will send a conservation officer out to deal with it. I would rather call my neighbour who lives a couple miles away to come with his gun. He knows how to shoot and he knows where I live. If I had to wait for someone to come from an hour away and if a predator was in our corral would we have any livestock left? I would feel safer if my neighbour had his gun back."
Meanwhile, Sask Environment conservation officers are continuing their investigation of the shooting of the cougar.

[Emily]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/ ... aa26299178

Killing of cougar probed
Sylvia MacBean, Special to The Leader-Post
Published: Saturday, April 05, 2008
CARNDUFF (Special) -- Saskatchewan Environment conservation officers are investigating the recent shooting of a cougar in southeastern Saskatchewan.
"There has been a cougar killed in the southern part of the province, but I can't go into details as we have an ongoing investigation," said Shawn Burke, manager of Wildlife Management and the cougar biologist for Sask Environment.
"Photos have been circulating on the Internet of the cougar. We actually started our investigation based on photos being sent to us through people on the Internet and from calls to our (Turn In Poachers) line."

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Harvey Holloway admits that he shot a cougar in the Arcola area.
"Where it was it had to be put down," said Holloway, who claimed the cougar was in a farmer's yard. "The whole family was locked in the house. They were terrified of the thing. It was 168 pounds and almost seven feet long. That is all I am telling you."
Holloway declined to comment further due to the investigation.
Burke said cougars are protected under the Wildlife Act in the province.
"We have a very small population of between 250 and a maximum of 300 cougars," he said. "No one is supposed to shoot them. However, there are provisions in the Wildlife Act that allow a landowner or his immediate family to deal with a cougar or any predator if it is an imminent danger to themselves or is actively attacking their livestock."
If a landowner sees a cougar in their yard they should contact Sask. Environment.
"(A farmyard) is not one of the best places for a cougar to be. People here don't understand a lot about cougars so they get nervous. It is not best to see one passing by and shoot it," he said. "If one turns up in a farmyard and no one is in immediate danger we highly recommend that the individual call our conservation officers. We have many ways of dealing with these animals in a non-lethal manner that can educate them.
"Cougars are very rare in Saskatchewan and they are a sign of a healthy eco-system. They provide a lot of benefits to farmers and landowners."
The cougars' main prey is deer, he said.

[horshur]

They provide a lot of benefits to farmers and landowners."

really