A cougar found napping under a deck in the Grafton area will likely spend the rest of its life in captivity.
The cougar, now named ‘Charlie’, was spotted in several areas around Cranberry Lake Road from July 7 until it entered a trap set by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, July 11.
The trap was baited with a chicken and a T-bone steak on July 10 after the big cat spent the afternoon napping under trees at Jean and John Wilson’s Cranberry Lake Road home. The cougar came back around 6 p.m. on July 11, said Mr. Wilson.
Riverview Park and Zoo officials exam a male cougar that was captured near Grafton last Friday (July 11). The cougar will remain under quarantine at the Peterborough zoo for the next month.
Photo submitted by the Riverview Park and Zoo
The MNR picked up the trapped cougar around 10:30 p.m. on Friday and it is now in quarantine at the Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough for at least 30 days.
The animal never threatened the family, said Mr. Wilson.
By all accounts the cougar exhibited unusual behaviour, said Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the MNR.
“This cougar took a nap under a porch,” said Ms. Kowalsk
Read More here: www.mykawartha.com/news-story/4634268-update-captured-cougar-will-spend-rest-of-its-life-in-captivity/
By Karen Longwell, Northumberland News