Parksville woman surprised to learn a cougar was under her trailer<\/p>\n
Published 5:35 am Thursday, March 19, 2026<\/p>\n
Lorelei Scott got an unsual notification on her phone Sunday evening \u2014 letting her know a cougar was hanging out under her trailer at the Park Sands Beach Resort in Parksville.<\/p>\n
She had heard a \u201cruckus\u201d directly underneath where she was sitting and since she figured it was racoons, did not bother to go check it out.<\/p>\n
The notification came from the owners of the campground who happened to drive by Scott\u2019s unit as they entered the park that evening,<\/p>\n
\u201cI normally see all kinds of things that are going on, but when it\u2019s cool out, I\u2019m not usually outside, which I\u2019m really glad I wasn\u2019t outside that night,\u201d Scott said. \u201cMy neighbour, who is directly to my left, who has lived on the Island all her life, I see her outside with her cellphone and her flashlight. And she\u2019s out trying to see where this cougar is, which I thought she was absolutely crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott, who has lived in the park for four years, is from northern Alberta and is familiar with wildlife like deer, elk moose and even bears, but a cougar was a first for her. Not wishing to risk a close encounter with the large feline, she stayed inside her trailer for the rest of the night.<\/p>\n
Wildlife such as deer move through the park from time to time, she said, even a bear once \u2014 and the area is \u201coverrun\u201d with rabbits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe the park is quiet this time of year. There\u2019s not that many people down here, hardly any noise,\u201d Scott said. \u201cI think that probably was a drawing for her. It was night-time. Had the park been full and kids out riding bikes and all of that, wildlife doesn\u2019t seem to come around during those times.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Conservation Officer Service confirmed it received a report of the cougar. Because the report was made the next day, no action was taken at the time and no further reports came in.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo aggressive behaviour noted,\u201d the COS told the PQB News. \u201cThe COS will continue to monitor reports of animal activity and behaviour in the area, and respond as appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The public is encouraged to report sightings and interactions to the RAPP line to allow officers to have the best picture possible of wildlife activity.<\/p>\n
The next morning, when she came out of her trailer, Scott made lots of noise just in case the cougar was still around, but it had left some time during the night.<\/p>\n
She is used to being around wildlife, generally loves taking photos of animals and is not worried about future encounters in the park.<\/p>\n
Scott said she would like the public to know that although the cougar might be just as scared of you as you are of it, it\u2019s not worth it to go outside and take a photo.<\/p>\n