Wildlife has been making itself known in the Central Okanagan recently.

Cougars, coyotes and bobcats have been on the prowl. Last Sunday (Jan. 16), a cougar lunged at a man walking his dog in Mission Creek Regional Park, but it was fortunately scared off.

鈥淔or a cougar to attack a dog on a leash is quite uncommon,鈥� says Vanessa Isnardy, WildsafeBC program manager. 鈥淟ike most wildlife, they try to avoid people as much as possible. Cougar attacks on people are still very rare. We鈥檙e not their prey and we spook their prey as well. Basically, it鈥檚 good to be aware year-round because if it鈥檚 not coyotes and cats it鈥檚 going to be bears. When you鈥檙e out there using nature trails be aware and in tune with what鈥檚 happening on the landscape. Always keep your pets on a leash. Most dogs do not have very good recall when it comes to seeing wildlife, the instinct to chase is so strong. That leads to a lot of conflicts between our pets and wildlife.鈥�

Read More: Cougar lunges at man and dog in Mission Creek Regional Park

It鈥檚 also mating season for coyotes.

鈥淩ight now we鈥檙e heading into a period where coyotes are going to be a little bit more frisky and active,鈥� adds Isnardy.

Coyotes mate from late January to mid-March and will produce an average of five pups in April to mid-May. Much like coyotes, cougars are active year-round. The big cats can travel long distances, up to 50 km in one day. Young cougars, especially males, will venture out on their own trying to find new habitats and home ranges. Sometimes they venture on the edges of human-dominated landscapes and may prey on free-ranging pets or young livestock. Their primary prey is deer and they will sometimes follow deer in areas where they over-winter, such as valley bottoms.

If you find yourself staring down a cougar or coyote, Isnardy says there are several things you can do to scare them off.

鈥淵ou want to make yourself look as big as possible,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou want to let that cougar know that first of all you鈥檙e not a deer. Don鈥檛 turn your back because that makes you look more susceptible (to attack). Stand your ground, and don鈥檛 run. Open up your jacket and put your arms up in the air, use a deep voice and just yell at it to leave you alone. Hopefully, that will be enough that the cougar will think twice about trying to approach you.鈥�

If a cougar, or coyote, decides to attack you, Isnardy says you are fighting for your life.

鈥淵ou are going to do everything in your power, as viciously as possible to protect yourself,鈥� she adds. 鈥淕o for the eyes or try and hit it in the ribs, and if you鈥檙e with someone you should never leave that person alone and go for help. Stay with that person and fend off that cougar. Cougars don鈥檛 want to get injured, so if they鈥檙e getting a lot of injuries there is definitely a chance you can beat off the attack, and people have been successful in fending off attacks.鈥�

If you have small children with you, Isnardy recommends you keep them within arms reach if you are in wildlife country. Pick them up immediately if there is a threat of an attack, and if it鈥檚 an older child you can鈥檛 pick up, keep them in front of you not behind you.

鈥淭hat may seem counter-intuitive, but you can鈥檛 control the situation if they are behind you and they may make a break for it and run,鈥� says Isnardy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually better to place the child in front of you and put your hands firmly on their shoulders and keep an eye on the situation with the two of you being large and loud. There have been less than 10 fatalities in a hundred years by cougars, and the vast majority of those have been on Vancouver Island. Again, cougar attacks on people and children are rare.鈥�

Coyote attacks are very rare as well according to Isnardy.

鈥淎s you may be aware there was a rash of them in Stanley Park, and those were mostly people who were running and they were nipped from behind,鈥� she adds. 鈥淐oyotes will attack deer and nip them from behind. People who are jogging in wildlife areas need to be even more vigilant. Don鈥檛 wear earbuds and be aware of your surroundings, because the act of running can trigger a chase response in a wild animal.鈥�

More information on reducing conflict with wildlife can be found on the

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