A cougar has been spotted at the St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino.

Last Thursday, August 25, the feline predator was seen twice, said sales and contracts manager Jessica Britton.

"One of our workers at the 19th hole was driving to work and they saw it crossing the road.

Later on, a guest saw it near the driving range," said Britton.

The cat wasn't acting threateningly, but the resort decided to take precautions and post signs around the building to warn guests.

"When our employee saw it, it wasn't necessarily right on our property but it was in the area. But then when it was spotted again we alerted the casino, surveillance and security," said Britton.

Conservation officer Jared Connatty said he wasn't surprised to hear of the sighting.

"That's an area where cougars would frequent quite a bit," said Connatty, adding that last year a cougar was spotted in the parking lot at the casino.

The conservation office had several calls of cougar sightings last month in the East Kootenay, including one this week in Wycliffe.

Two weeks ago, Connatty said he investigated a cougar sighting in the Silver Springs area south of Cranbrook.

"A cougar chased and killed a fawn right beside a person's house," he said. "We attempted to catch up with that cougar, however it never came back."

The attack was standard hunting for a cougar, so it was only a concern because it was on the outskirts of town.

"We never pursued that one any further because it could very well have moved back into its normal habitat and stayed there. That's what we want," said Connatty.

Soon after this incident, conservation officers destroyed a young female cougar in Elkford.

"That one was living in a residential area," said Connatty. "We need to draw that line in the sand somewhere. It was healthy but it was living right amongst houses - not even half-acre lots, but quarter-acre lots."

Still, the number of cougar sightings isn't above normal.

"Not for this area. We haven't received an influx of reports," said Connatty.

There is no particular season in which cougar activity increases, Connatty added.

"They don't have a particular breeding season. They can breed right now or they can breed in the middle of winter. That plays a major role in why there's not a particular time."

If you spot a cougar or other problem wildlife, you can contact the Conservation Office hotline at 1-877-952-7277.