THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - A cougar has been spotted near Fort Smith in one of the animal's closest-known encounters with the community.

According to Tony Vermillion, a renewable resource officer with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the cougar was seen at about 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 2 by an elder driving on Highway 5 as it passes through the community.

"He spotted something crossing the road," Vermillion said. "He thought it was a dog at first."

A cougar is described as a large, muscular, yellow-brown cat.

The renewable resource officer described the elder's report as a credible sighting, noting the lighting was good and the driver almost hit the animal.

The elder wishes to remain anonymous.

Another motorist believed he also saw the cougar crossing the road about an hour-and-a-half later, but did not get a good look at it.

What is believed to be the same cougar, which is also known as a mountain lion, was spotted on the morning of Aug. 3 near the Four Mile Lake floatplane base south of Fort Smith in northern Alberta.

Vermillion said it is believed the animal was just passing through the Fort Smith area.

It was the latest in a number of cougar sightings in recent years in the Fort Smith area. There are usually about two or three reports a year.

Vermillion noted there was another credible sighting about four months ago near what is locally known as Salt Mountain, about 30 km west of Fort Smith.

In August 2004, there were reports of a cougar being spotted in the Frontier Village area of Fort Smith in another example of the animal in the community.

Vermillion noted cougars are very elusive.

"They hide fairly well and they're fairly quick and stealthy," he said. "So it's pretty rare to see one."

There has apparently never been a photograph taken of a cougar in the Fort Smith area.

Vermillion said Fort Smith is pretty fortunate to have such great wildlife.

"The only problem is, once they get into a town and they find a food source, they tend to always come back until that food source is gone," he said. "So the big thing is to keep the animal from getting anything to eat within town and they'll just keep on moving through."

Vermillion said cougars can be dangerous, just like any wild animal.

His advice in the event of encountering a cougar is to not make eye contact, don't run as that would trigger a chasing instinct, don't turn your back on the animal because it tends to attack from behind, raise your arms or packsack or jacket into the air to make yourself look bigger than the animal, and yell at it to scare it away.

"The big thing is don't panic," he said. "Stay calm and make yourself look bigger, and back away slowly. The cougar will avoid confrontation as much as any other animal would."

It is illegal to kill a cougar, unless in self-defence.

Any sightings should be reported to a wildlife officer.

Vermillion said there have been more sightings of cougars around Fort Smith in recent years because there has been an increase in the number of whitetail deer and rabbits - a cougar's main food sources.

Elders and trappers have told him cougars were also around in the 1950s and 1970s, other times when there were many whitetail deer.

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