Cougar spotted in Edmonton house shot by police by Tazeen Hasan

Robert Stebbings had no idea that he is going to encounter a Cougar in front of his garage, 
when he went out of his house to smoke a cigarette, early morning this Friday, in North West Edmonton, Canada.

According to Stebbings, he heard heavy breathing and initially mistook the beast as a big Mastiff dog but then he realized the animal in front of him was a Cougar. He immediately secured himself by slipping in his garage and locking the door. “I just got scared. I started sweating … He was a huge cat. I could hear him breathing like something you would hear at the zoo.”

He came out at about 7:45 a.m and saw the cougar sleeping under a tree. This time, he called the police for help.

The police arrived along with Alberta Fish and Wildlife staff who tried to tranquilize the beast. Unfortunately, it didn't work and the Cougar, an adult male, ran away in the direction where a police officer was standing.

It was the decisive moment for the other police officer who was watching. He immediately shot the animal to save the life of his co-worker.

The Cougar was just 5 meters away from the officer in danger when he was shot dead at 9 a.m. The dead body of the Cougar was carried away by Alberta Fish and Wildlife team.

It was the first Cougar, Alberta Fish and Wildlife has dealt in last 15 years in a residential area.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife spokesman Brendan Cox said that a necroscopy would be done to see if the animal had any health problems.

“Any animal can cause significant injuries to a person, and so we have to take all those circumstances into consideration,” said Edmonton police Staff Sgt. Steve Jones.