Cougar Frenzy Read online

  Text copyright © Pamela McDowell, 2019

  Illustrations copyright © Kasia Charko, 2019

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Title: Cougar frenzy / Pamela McDowell; illustrated by Kasia Charko.

  Names: McDowell, Pamela, author. | Charko, Kasia, illustrator.

  Series: Orca echoes.

  Description: Series statement: Orca echoes

  Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 2019006580X | Canadiana (ebook) 20190065834 | ISBN 9781459820647 (softcover) | ISBN 9781459820654 (PDF) | ISBN 9781459820661 (EPUB)

  Classification: LCC PS8625.D785 C68 2019 | DDC jC813/.6—dc23

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2019934029

  Simultaneously published in Canada and the United States in 2019

  Orca Book Publishers is committed to reducing the consumption of nonrenewable resources in the making of our books. We make every effort to use materials that support a sustainable future.

  Summary: In this illustrated early chapter book, Cricket has to convince the townspeople of Waterton, located in the heart of Waterton Lakes National Park, not to capture and relocate a cougar that they believe is being a nuisance.

  Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

  Edited by Liz Kemp

  Cover artwork and interior illustrations by Kasia Charko

  Author photo by Mirror Image Photography

  ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

  orcabook.com

  Printed and bound in Canada.

  22 21 20 19 • 4 3 2 1

  For Lori, whose story of a cougar on Crandell Lake Trail sparked my imagination.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “Look out below!”

  Cricket jumped back into the house as a giant slab of snow slid off the roof. Wump! It landed in a heap, blocking the sidewalk.

  She poked her head out the front door. “Good one, Tyler!” she yelled. “Now how am I supposed to get to school?”

  Tyler laughed, and she slammed the door, sending another hunk of snow crashing to the ground. Cricket’s older brother was twelve, and it was his job to climb up on the roof to shovel off the heavy snow.

  She opened the back door quietly, then dashed down the steps into the yard. Nearly three feet of snow had fallen in the past week, and the little village of Waterton was hiding under a heavy white blanket. Everything was soft and round and quiet. She followed the path her dad had made with the plow on the front of his truck. Warden McKay was a park warden in Waterton Lakes National Park, and part of his job was making sure the roads were safe in the winter.

  “Hey, Cricket! C’mon!” Cricket’s best friend, Shilo, was waiting on the corner. “If we’re late, Mr. Tanaka will make us sort the recycling again.”

  Cricket wrinkled her nose. “Ew!”

  “I know,” Shilo said. “That’s almost worse than scraping the bat poop out of our shed.”

  “No, not that.” Cricket covered her nose with her mitten as they walked. “Don’t you smell something? It’s getting stronger.”

  Shilo sniffed the air. “Must be a skunk. C’mon, let’s go.”

  “Wait, Shilo. Look!” Cricket pointed to a bush in the corner of the school field. “Somebody piled a bunch of snow under that bush.”

  “Some kids probably made a fort.”

  “I don’t think so. See all the scratch marks in the snow? And the branches and dead leaves? Somebody tried to hide something under there—something smelly.”

  Shilo frowned and pulled her scarf up over her nose.

  “I think somebody hid their dinner under that bush.” Cricket looked up at the ravens in the trees above them. “We shouldn’t be this close.”

  “Do you think it was a bear? Or a wolf?” Shilo looked around nervously.

  Cricket shook her head. “We better get to school and call my dad.” She grabbed Shilo’s arm to stop her from running.

  “You have to walk.”

  “What—? What do you think it was?”

  “A cougar,” Cricket said, looking over her shoulder. “I think it was a cougar.”

  Mr. Tanaka led the fourth-grade students into the school gym. The entire school population was seated on the floor, buzzing with curiosity. What was going on? Were they having a special presentation? Cricket and Shilo followed Mr. Tanaka and sat with their classmates.

  “Hey, Cricket, there’s your dad. He got here quick,” Shilo said.

  Principal Singh stepped to the front of the gym. She waited for the students to stop talking, then introduced Warden McKay.

  “Good morning, students,” he began.

  The first-grade kids at the front answered him. “Good morning, Warden McKay.”

  He smiled, then became very serious. “You all know that we live in a national park. You know that there is wildlife all around us.”

  Many of the students nodded.

  “We have had an unusual visitor. A cougar has been seen in the village.” Warden McKay paused as the students began to chatter. Principal Singh held up her hand for quiet.

  “In the winter, when the bears are asleep, we sometimes forget that other dangerous animals live here too. Does anyone know what to do to protect yourself from a cougar?”

  Hands shot into the air.

  “Never walk alone.”

  “Never run if you see a cougar.”

  “Make yourself look bigger,” said a fifth-grade student.

  Warden McKay nodded. “How would you do that? How would you make yourself look bigger to a cougar?”

  The student stood up. “You could open your coat like this,” he said, unzipping his sweatshirt and spreading it wide open.

  “That’s a great example,” Warden McKay said. “Are there any other suggestions?”

  “I have one,” a student called from the back of the gym.

  Cricket rolled her eyes. Of course Tyler would have something to say.

  “Dusk and dawn mean dinner,” Tyler said.

  “What does he mean by that?” Shilo whispered.

  Cricket made a face.

  Warden McKay nodded. “That’s right, Tyler. Cougars hunt at dusk and at dawn, so those are the most dangerous times for you to be out. We should also keep pets indoors and make sure garages and shed doors are closed.”

  A first-grade student in the front row put up her hand. “Did you see the cougar, Warden McKay?”

  He shook his head. “No, Maddy. Cougars are very shy and don’t usually like to be around people. I didn’t see this cougar, but there is evidence that he has been here, and he may come back.”

  “You were right,” Shilo whispered.

  Cricket nodded.

  “So for the next couple of days, it is important that you stay safe. Principal Singh has canceled school for the rest of the week, until we know there is no danger.”

  The students cheered in surprise. Principal Singh never canceled school—not even for a snow day. A cougar was a really big deal.

  Chapter T
wo

  After lunch the girls walked down to the gas station for ice cream. Mrs. McKay insisted that Tyler walk with them, though Cricket secretly thought he would attract more cougars than he scared away. The bell above the gas-station door jangled as Cricket opened it.

  “Hi, kids.” Pat Watson was a tall man with a booming voice. He had owned the only gas station in Waterton for twenty-two years. In the summer he rented bicycles, mopeds and fishing rods to tourists. For the rest of the year townsfolk stopped at the gas station to chat and maybe pick up a new shovel or puzzle or ice-fishing line.

  Today the wrangler from the stables was at the counter, buying a bag of beef jerky and chatting with Pat.

  “Hi, Mr. Watson. Hi, Mr. Garrin,” Cricket said. She and Shilo moved to the ice-cream cooler. Tyler stopped to check out the model-airplane kits on the top shelf, behind the camp stoves.

  Mr. Garrin continued their conversation as Pat handed him his change. “I’m not really surprised,” he said. “There was a cougar that caused some trouble around town in the seventies.”

  The bell jangled, and everyone looked toward the door. A young man entered the garage, nodded to Pat and continued to the back of the store. He was dressed like most hikers and skiers who visited Waterton, with insulated pants and a warm coat, wearing a red, blue and white Montreal Canadiens knit hat on his head.

  “There have been some signs around the corrals,” Mr. Garrin said. “Something’s been stirring up the horses at night, spooking ’em.”

  Cricket nudged Shilo with her elbow. She watched the young man, who was frowning as he carried a bottle of kerosene to the counter.

  “If you don’t mind my asking,” he said, “did you see what spooked the horses?”

  Mr. Garrin shook his head. “Nah. It was too sneaky. It was brown though. Or maybe black. Too small for a bear.”

  “Did you find any tracks?”

  “Nope. The horses stirred up the snow. It had to be a cougar. What else could it be?”

  Pat held out a receipt for the kerosene. “It’s got to be a cougar, right, Jeremy?”

  The young man shrugged slowly and said goodbye. He put the receipt in his pocket and headed out the door.

  Jeremy! He was the university researcher studying Waterton’s cougars! Cricket’s dad had mentioned the project the previous month and had seemed impressed with the equipment the team was using. Cricket jabbed Shilo with her elbow again.

  “Ouch! Stop doing that!”

  “Come on!”

  Pushing Shilo ahead of her, Cricket dragged Tyler out of the store with them.

  “Mr. Bowman, wait!” Cricket called. “Do you really think it could be a cougar?”

  The man turned and raised his eyebrows.

  “We found some evidence this morning,” she said, gesturing to Shilo.

  He smiled. “Call me Jeremy. You’re Warden McKay’s daughter, aren’t you? You found the dead deer cached in the schoolyard?”

  Cricket nodded and introduced herself and Shilo and Tyler. “I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never seen a cougar,” she said.

  “Cougars are pretty shy, but they are out there. I’ll have to check the signals of all the collared cats and see where they are.”

  “You put collars on the cougars?” Shilo’s voice squeaked. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

  Jeremy smiled again. “It could be dangerous, but I have lots of help. The collars have radio transmitters that help me keep track of each cougar. I’m researching how far cougars travel in their range.” He looked down the street. “I’m heading back to my cabin now. Are you three walking my way?”

  Before Shilo could protest that they hadn’t bought their ice cream, Cricket nodded and fell into step beside Jeremy. This was their chance to learn more about the cougar!

  Chapter Three

  “If cougars are so secretive, how do you find one to put a collar on it?” Shilo asked as they walked through the village.

  “The best time is right after a snowfall. I go out in the truck with a local guide and some dogs, looking for tracks. When I’m sure they are cougar tracks, we let the dogs off leash, and they follow the scent.”

  Cricket and Shilo both stared at him, their eyes wide.

  “Don’t worry, the dogs never catch the cougar. A cougar’s like any other cat—he’ll climb a tree to get out of reach of trouble. But the dogs will keep him in the tree until we catch up.”

  “I bet that takes a while,” Tyler said.

  Jeremy nodded. “That’s probably the hardest part of the job, hiking through miles of deep snow. Snowshoes help a bit.”

  “Doesn’t the cougar get mad hanging in the tree with the dogs barking at it?” Cricket asked.

  “Yeah, there’s a lot of hissing and spitting. But I tranquilize the cougar with a dart gun, and that calms it down.”

  “Doesn’t it fall out of the tree?”

  “That’s the tricky part. Once the cat quiets down, I have to climb the tree and loop a rope around one of its legs before it falls completely asleep and lets go of the branch.”

  “I get it,” Tyler said. “You can hook the other end of the rope over a branch to let the cougar down gently.”

  “That’s the goal.” Jeremy stopped. “Would you like to see my research station? It’s in the old Miller cabin on the corner.”

  Cricket turned to Tyler.

  “We better phone Mom,” he said. “She’ll have a fit if she can’t find us.”

  Jeremy’s cabin was filled with computers and GPS equipment. On one table there were devices that looked like game controllers with long antennas poking out like whiskers. Another table was covered with maps. Some of the maps showed elevation and land features like rivers. Other maps showed roads and property lines.

  “Is this a radio collar?” Cricket pointed to a ring of metal the size of a dinner plate and about four inches wide. It was padded on the inside.

  “That’s right,” Jeremy said. He picked up the collar with both hands and opened it. “It’s pretty simple to use. You just snap it on like this.” He turned to Tyler and put the collar around his neck. “Then you turn the transmitter on with this switch. The GPS unit uses satellites to record the location of the cougar, using latitude and longitude. That data is sent to my computer.”

  Tyler grimaced. “It’s kind of heavy.”

  “That’s the battery. The collar is lightweight by itself.”

  “Do the collars ever stop working?” Cricket asked. “Do the batteries ever run out?”

  “If the battery runs out, the collar opens up and falls off.” Jeremy undid the collar and removed it from Tyler’s neck.

  “So if the cougar at the stables was wearing a collar, you would have that data?”

  Jeremy nodded. “That’s right. Let’s have a look,” he said, sitting down in front of a computer.

  Cricket looked at the table beside her. A white plaster disc the size of a pie was sitting on the table. She picked it up and turned it over.

  Shilo peeked over her shoulder. “Cool! Is that a cougar print?”

  Jeremy turned in his chair. “Yup. I made that impression last fall.”

  Cricket placed her hand over the paw print. She stretched her pinky to reach the far toe.

  “Notice anything missing from that print?” Jeremy asked.

  Cricket studied the print. There were four toes and the middle heel pad. What was missing?

  Tyler stepped over to have a look. “There are no claw marks,” he said.

  “Right. A cougar keeps its claws retracted unless it’s running.” Jeremy turned back to his computer. “Hmm, it looks like Elvis was in town.”

  “Who?”

  “Elvis?”

  Jeremy looked up and grinned. “There’s an old cougar I named Elvis. It looks like he passed through town last night.”

  “Was he at the school?” Cricket asked.

  The kids peered over Jeremy’s shoulder at the computer screen.

  “That looks like a dot-to-dot puzz
le,” Shilo said.

  Jeremy smiled. “I guess it does. This is the data the GPS collar sends me. Each dot is a ‘ping,’ and it tells me where the cougar was at that exact moment. Right now the pings are set for every half hour,” he explained. “The battery turns on the GPS, connects with the satellites and sends the data to me.”

  “There are a lot of dots in one spot,” Cricket said.

  Jeremy enlarged the map. “It looks like he was in the schoolyard for a couple of hours last night.”

  “What about earlier?” Shilo asked. “Mr. Garrin said he thought the cougar was hanging around the horses. Was it Elvis?”

  “I don’t think so. He came up from Montana and traveled around Bertha Peak before he came into town.” Jeremy traced the bright-green line on the map with his finger. “It doesn’t look like he went anywhere near the stables.”

  “What’s the yellow line?” Tyler asked.

  “That’s Madonna. She’s west of Cameron Lake. It would take her a couple of days to get here, and it would be unusual for her to travel this far out of her normal range.”

  “There’s another cougar?”

  “Yup. Here, have a look.” Jeremy closed the satellite map and opened a black-and-white photo on the screen. It showed an adult cougar on a snowy trail in the bush. Its eyes glowed brightly.

  “Hey, that’s a night-vision picture!” Tyler said. “How did you get that?”

  “I set up a motion-activated night-vision camera at Cameron Lake. Cool, eh? And look here.” Jeremy pointed to a spot behind the cougar.

  Cricket leaned forward to get a better look. “There’s another cougar there!”

  “Two!” Shilo said. “Are they kittens?”

  Jeremy nodded. “That’s Hanna and Taylor, Madonna’s cubs from last summer. They’re getting pretty big now.”

  The kids grinned. “Wow! Do you have any pictures of Elvis?”

  “No. I guess I should move one of my cameras.”

  “You could put it at the school,” Shilo suggested. “Then we can see him when he comes back for the dinner he left in the schoolyard.”