The one that killed Frost was destroyed. Another believed responsible for the town sightings has been captured and will be relocated to a remote part of the park. Other cats in the area are being tracked and will be radio-collared once they are found, said Dalman. But cougar signs have been spotted more frequently for the past couple years, he said, and the trend won't slow until the town's elk population falls by at least half, he said. Complicating the equation is the presence of a wolf pack in the area.
Elk bunch up in town because they're safer there from wolves.
That draws the cougars, who compete with the wolves for prey and are looking for a niche of their own. There are between 200-300 elk in Banff, a number that hungry wolves and cougars just can't resist. Dalman said Parks Canada's goal for the town is about 75-100 elk. That's an artificial situation that we are trying to correct. Parks Canada has already relocated about 200 elk over the last two years.