Hailing from Australia, Andrew Burridge is no stranger to dangerous wildlife—but a recent cougar encounter on Whistler’s Singing Pass Trail left him fearing for his life.
“Everything wants to kill you in Australia, but it's usually quite small or is desperately trying to get away from you. So if you get killed by something, you've usually made some bad choices or just bad luck,” Burridge said. “But to have an apex predator lock eyes and then flank you, and then literally come at you… it's humbling.”
An experienced hiker in Whistler for two weeks visiting his brother, Burridge made the trek up Singing Pass to the Kees and Claire hut on Tuesday, June 24.
“I was aware of the cougar sightings and the closures around the bike park and so forth. So I checked these and the trail up to the hut wasn't closed, that section of [Garibaldi Park] wasn't closed,” he said. “But I am not naïve … cougars move, as do all other animals. And so a mild bit of trepidation, but I didn't feel that I was doing something silly.”
After an “unremarkable but very beautiful” hike up to the hut on Tuesday, Burridge began his descent at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, hoping to beat any inclement weather that might roll in.
About seven kilometres from the hut, he saw movement on the trail ahead.
“I immediately knew it was something big, and thought probably black bears. And then the first thing I noted was that these things moving were not black. They seemed to be brown,” he said. “I very quickly realized that it was at least one, but I thought two cougars … they were probably 30 to 50 metres ahead of me on the trail, close enough to be able to identify them, and close enough that they immediately locked eyes on to me.”
Burridge stopped dead in his tracks, hoping the cougars would move on.
In that moment, it was a sensation of “supreme beauty and feeling very lucky. Disbelief. I know they’re not seen very often,” he said. “But also, 'oh, dear, I think I'm in trouble.' And the more it stared, the more I thought I could be in real trouble here.”
After a very long minute or so, the cougar left the trail, but Burridge stayed on alert, not wanting to get in between a mom and its cub, or turn his back on the threat. He backtracked slowly, picking up rocks to defend himself as he went.
“And immediately after picking up the rocks, I turned to my right, which is the low side of the trail, and there's a big adult cougar now, 10 metres, I would say, away below, so I could just see its head. Eyes locked straight onto me,” he said.
“At that point it starts running towards me. And that's when I panicked, to an extent.”
Then, as he was backing away, Burridge lost his footing.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT
“I thought that I was done for,” he said. “At that point, the cougar was within touching distance, and was over me.”
Having thrown all his rocks, to little effect, Burridge was trapped.
“I tried to growl. I felt kind of embarrassed. I was actually thinking, ‘I hope no one hears this,’ which was an odd thing to be worried about at the time,” he said. “I could see the size of its paws, and I was just envisioning being disembowelled, basically.”
Then, after Burridge gave one last “visceral, gut-wrenching growl,” the cougar retreated.
“And that was just pure luck,” Burridge said. “So I got up, I backed away, and was able to carry on down the trail.”
Having heard stories about cougars stalking hikers, and still having two hours of solo hiking ahead of him, Burridge stayed on alert, but didn’t see the animals again. His thoughts turned to the people still at the Kees and Claire hut, including three park rangers. He got in contact with the BC Conservation Officer Service to give them the heads up about his encounter.
“I was terrified, for sure. With no exaggeration, it felt this was life or death, and I was going into that fight-or-flight mode … But it was incredibly beautiful. I feel lucky,” he said.
“And I'm in cougar territory. I’m in their land, and bears as well. So I feel no ill will or like I was somehow wronged … of course, I wouldn't want any attention to be drawn in a negative way towards any kind of wildlife. More so just the hope is that it gets people thinking … it is an actual reality, and I was literally lying on the ground with a cougar stood over me, preparing to take a swipe.”
What was going through his mind in that moment?
“I remember thinking, this is the most stunning creature I've seen. I remember looking and focusing on its paws as like, ‘these are huge,’ and just thinking about, ‘how do I protect my vital organs?’” he said.
“And how useless I felt—small and insignificant and defenceless.”
'COMPLETE SILENCE'
The other thing that will stick with Burridge is the “complete silence” of the encounter.
“That animal did not make a single sound as it moved through the bush. I mean, when it had flanked me, I didn't hear it. When it came towards me, it was like it was floating. It was just silent. And the next thing, it's pretty much on top of me,” he said.
“So yeah, I felt very alone, and I was.”
Burridge sees the encounter as a good chance for all of us to reflect.
“[With] increased tourism, increased construction, the bike park, all of these wonderful things, those conflicts are likely to become more common,” he said. “And I still don't see it as potentially a conflict, or that I was being attacked—quite the opposite. I was just [in the] wrong place, wrong time, in another creature's home territory.”
With that in mind, Burridge said he wouldn’t want any harm to come to the animal.
“If anything, it just gives me pause for concern about the effects on these animals’ well-being and everyday lives. Even a simple thing like hiking still has impact,” he said.
“The takeaway from this is we should look out for ourselves, but in a way that recognizes that it's an inherent and chosen risk, and it's a beautiful thing. How lucky to have such wildlife here, in Whistler, that still exists? I'm almost amazed that it does, given the pressures in most of the world … these kinds of apex-type predators are long gone.
“So we should cherish that, and this should be a point to reflect on what we can do to support them, but also just to be sensible.”
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A COUGAR
Burridge’s encounter follows multiple incidents over the last several weeks of two cougars acting aggressively in the Whistler area, "including chasing, stalking and being in close proximity to mountain bikers and hikers," a COS spokesperson said. "This is unusual and concerning cougar behaviour that has led to several trail closures."
The public is now asked to avoid the Singing Pass area “for their own safety.”
And on Friday morning, June 27, sections of Whistler Mountain were once again closed due to cougar activity in the area.
"In consultation with the Conservation Officer Service, Peak Express Chairlift and all hiking trails above the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler Mountain will be closed on Friday to address cougar activity in the area. We will provide updates as needed," a Whistler Blackcomb spokesperson said Friday morning.
"This of course includes Cloudraker Skybridge and Raven’s Eye Lookout."
The COS spokesperson couldn’t confirm why these cougars are acting this way, but officials believe the recent reports in Garibaldi Park and at Whistler Blackcomb pertain to the same cougars.
According to the provincial government, if you encounter a cougar, you should stay calm and keep the cougar in view, while picking up children immediately. Back away slowly, ensuring the animal has a clear avenue of escape.
Make yourself look as large as possible. Never run or turn your back on a cougar, as sudden movement may provoke an attack.
If a cougar shows interest or follows you, respond aggressively, maintain eye contact, show your teeth and make loud noise. Arm yourself with rocks or sticks as weapons.
If a cougar attacks, fight back—convince it you are a threat and not prey, and use anything you can as a weapon, focusing your attack on the cougar's face and eyes.
Reports of cougar conflicts or aggressive cougar behaviour can be made to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
For more info on how to stay safe if you see a cougar, visit this provincial government web page.
Video produced by Alanna Kelly
