The Gravelbourg RCMP along with Saskatchewan Environment are warning people to keep young children and small pets close by while outdoors due to several cougar sightings in the area.

Police said one cougar has been seen a few times along the south side of 1st Avenue East in the city.

While cougars are not usually found in the area, they have been sighted from time to time, police said, and warn that they are most active during the night.

Cougars mainly prey on deer, so they are often found near where deer live.

Ways to make your property safer

• Do not feed wildlife, it can attract animals to your yard that may be prey of cougars, thus attracting cougars to your yard.
• Do not feed pets outside. Cougars will eat pet food, which can attract them to your yard. Keep pets indoors at night.
• Make your yard deer-proof. If your landscaping is attractive to deer, cougars will follow the deer to your property.
• Keep a close eye on children when they are playing outside and bring them in before dusk when cougars start hunting.

Ways to stay safe while enjoying the outdoors

• Hike with other people and make noise. Cougars usually will not bother groups of people.
• Keep a clean camp and store food and garbage where cougars cannot reach it.
• If hiking with small children keep them in the group or in sight ahead of the group. Cougars ambush from behind, so keeping a child in front of the main group will lessen the possibility of attack.
• Keep away from dead animals — this could be prey a cougar is guarding.
• If hiking with pets, keep them close to the group. Roaming pets will be open an attack or could irritate a cougar trying to avoid the group.