A healthy male cougar is starting a new life in a remote area far from Nanaimo after wandering into that city yesterday in search of a meal.
The Conservation Officer Service says dogs were brought in and the big cat was tracked and safely captured.
It had been spotted earlier in a central part of the city near the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
Conservation officers say the cougar was likely following deer and was not linked to any aggressive behaviour so, after being tranquilized and checked over, it was relocated to a wilderness area.