The BC Conservation Service has killed a pair of cougars that were preying on pets in the Westsyde area of Kamloops.

Residents on Ida Lane – which borders the Lac du Bois Grasslands Provincial Park – had reported chickens and dogs had been killed and people had seen and photographed as many as three of the big cats in the area.

Conservation officer Jared Connatty told NL News they attended on Nov. 4, where they found one cougar and euthanized it.

“Once that behavior begins, it is very irreversible,” he said. “It becomes a public safety concern at that point and as a result those animals need to be removed.”

A few days later – on Nov. 12 – another report came in. Connatty says officers found a cougar in a chicken coup along with several dead chickens, noting it too was killed.

“Both cougars that were euthanized were of the same age. They’re dispersal age – what we call dispersal age,” he said.

“So they’re in that age class where they start to leave the mothering female so it’s entirely possible, that’s why I say it’s entirely possible that their could be another animal there.”

For now, he says that it appears the killing has stopped.

He says while very rare, cougar attacks are possible. In case you encounter a cougar, he says you should keep calm and never run.

To report cougars, call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.