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UPDATED: Cougar destroyed in Nelson

A cougar that attacked and injured a dog in Fairview late Sunday has been put down.
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A cougar is treed near Gyro Park this month. Police and the conservation officer destroyed a cougar last night that attacked a dog in Fairview.

A cougar that attacked and injured a dog in Fairview late Sunday has been put down.

It's believed to have been the same animal chased up a tree by a dog this month near Gyro Park.

“Earlier Sunday morning, the cougar had been sighted by area residents but a search for the animal was unsuccessful at that time,” Nelson police Sgt. Howie Grant says.

However, that night it attacked a small dog and police were called.

Officers spotted the cougar twice before before conservation officer Jason Hawkes arrived.

"It had a kill there — I couldn't confirm if it was a cat or racoon, but a small furry animal," Hawkes says. "The cougar came back and was spotted at the same site."

Because it had been raining and there weren't a lot of tracks in the snow, Hawkes called in trained hunting dogs to search for the animal.

It was finally discovered around the 800 block of Kokanee Avenue and shot.

"Based on where it was coming in and the fact it's been around a few weeks and hasn't left the area, the decision was made to remove it from the area," he says. "One dog-cougar conflict wouldn't seal its fate, but it was staying deep down within the community."

Hawkes estimated the cougar was a two year old female weighing about 50 lbs. (23 kg). It was the same size as the one spotted a few weeks ago.

The small dog — a Shih Tzu or Pekingese — was lucky to escape with only a couple of puncture wounds and some scratches and should be fine.

Hawkes encourages anyone who spots a cougar or has wildlife conflicts to call the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.