Black cougar sighted in McCraney Creek trails

On Wednesday night, an Oakville woman reports coming within close range of a black cougar while walking on the McCraney Creek trails. OMHS says it was probably a labradoodle.

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As Oakville resident Marie DiGiovine set off on foot down the McCraney Creek trail from Kingsridge Drive, she recalls an uneasy feeling coming over her which she quickly put out of her head. 

"I was like, 'It’s Oakville. Don’t be crazy. No one is going to jump out of the bushes.'"

Moments later, an animal larger than a coyote crossed the trail ahead of her. It had a shiny black coat. She froze in her tracks.

"It was like a giant cat. I panicked at that moment," DiGiovine says.

"I was paralyzed." 

The animal stopped to observe her, giving DiGiovine time to discern a cat's face, ears and long tail. 

"I’ve seen black bears and deer, but never ever a cougar. I thought cougars were brown. This one was all black. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it was definitely, 100 percent, a black cougar."

When she reached for her cell phone to try to capture a photo, DiGiovine says the animal disappeared into the thick brush. All she managed to capture was a picture of the empty trail.

"I stood there for a while because I didn’t know what to do," DiGiovine says.

Then, figuring the animal was afraid of her, she continued down the trail, walking right past where the creature had been standing.

When she got home, she posted to a Facebook group of local moms, precipitating a lively discussion. Following the advice of other group members, she contacted the Oakville & Milton Humane Society. She was told that since night was falling, animal control officers probably wouldn't investigate until the next morning. 

John Bugailiskis, the spokesperson for the OMHS, said by email Thursday that the officer investigating the report believes the sighting was of a black labradoodle. 

DiGiovine anticipated no one would believe her -- her grown children were skeptical -- but she is adamant she knows what she saw.

Although there are no official confirmations regarding the presence of a black cougar in the area, last week, the Brantford Expositor reported that a resident of Six Nations spotted a black cougar on their driveway June 28.

Ohsweken (Six Nations of the Grand River) is about 70 km southwest of Oakville.

According to a 2011 report in the Canadian Field Naturalist, a free-ranging population of cougars (also known as mountain lions) is present in Ontario.

While most cougars are brown, the report by Ministry of Natural Resources biologist Rick Rosatte noted there were 52 credible sightings of black (melanistic) cougars during the four-year study period from 2006 to 2010.

The same report also indicates that cougars are known to range as much as 50 km a single night. Rosatte also wrote that some of those reports of black cougars might be from escaped exotic animals.

Cougars primarily prey on white-tailed deer and have been listed as endangered species in Ontario since 2008.

This provincial government website states, "Cougars found in Ontario may be escaped or released pets, animals dispersing from western North America, native animals or a combination of those factors."

According to this 2001 CBC article, Ontario is the only province in Canada that does not legislate the ownership of exotic animals, such as tigers and lions.

Have you come across a mysterious shiny black creature in Oakville? Contact the Oakville News with your tips.