CANADIAN SIGHTINGS: Another cougar sighting reported near Cambridge

Waterloo Region Record

By Jeff Hicks

WATERLOO REGION — Jennifer Hammond says she was safe in her van last Wednesday as she pulled away from a stop sign at Valens Road and Concession 8, southeast of Cambridge.

In her high beams, she saw a cougar walking along the road, only a few feet away, as she headed to work for Canada Post around 5 a.m.

"At first, I thought it was a deer in my headlights," said the mother of two boys who delivers mail on suburban and rural routes. "As it got closer, I realized it was a big cat."

Hammond, who has lived on Valens Road for four years, was amazed and frightened at the same time — especially with African Lion Safari nearby. She was startled, even though she said locals once warned her to watch out for such wild animals in the area.

Hammond's report is the second unverified sighting of a suspected cougar beyond the southeast edges of Cambridge in the past seven weeks.

The sightings are about 11 kilometres apart.

Rob Ecob, a 65-year-old staff specialist for a local automation company, reported seeing a huge cat in the field behind the backyard of his Dundas Street South home in the late afternoon on Sept. 21. Neighbour Bill Murcar also saw it and called police. By the time officers arrived, the animal had moved off.

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