Echo Bay couple spots a very big cat in their yard

EDITOR'S NOTE: The original version of this story reported that the animal was a cougar. The article has been updated to say it may have been a bobcat or a lynx. The ministry has yet to comment.

Bill Gendron and his wife Rose Mary photographed what they thought was a cougar in their Echo Bay backyard on Wednesday, but several SooToday readers believe the animal was either a bobcat or a lynx.

Regardless of what it was, the Gendrons have seen all sorts of wildlife venture through their yard over the years — but nothing like this.

Living up Highway 638 just across from Lakeview Drive, the couple noticed the larger-sized cat enter their vicinity around 12:45 p.m. yesterday.

Certain it was a cougar, the couple noted that the animal had picked up a dead raccoon and wandered around for several minutes before it disappeared into the bush.

“My wife spotted it coming through the yard; she was so excited,” Bill said. “It was a young one. I have pictures of his face and his tail, which is about seven or eight inches long. He’s got spots on his belly because he’s still young.”

Shortly after this initial story was published, several readers were quick to suggest the animal that strolled through the Gendrons' yard was either a bobcat or a lynx — both of which have been well-documented in northern Ontario over the years.

In January 2016, one bobcat killed more than 40 hens in Laird Township. A friendlier one was spotted in Searchmont years prior. Other documented sightings have been made in Goulais River and east of Sault Ste. Marie.

Cougar sightings, meanwhile, are rarer.

The privately run Ontario Puma Foundation estimates that approximately 550 cougars are in the province and their numbers are increasing steadily to a sustainable population.

In April 2023, SooToday reader Brian O’Shaughnessy submitted a photo of what appeared to be a cougar in Goulais River. Another cougar sighting was reported in Sault Michigan the year prior.

In July 2022, sporadic sightings of cougars were also reported in Pukaskwa National Park just outside of Marathon, Ont. The report said it was the first time a cougar sighting had been documented in the park since it opened nearly 40 years ago.

The ministry provided the following tips if you should encounter a bobcat, lynx or cougar:

• Never go near its young
• Never offer it food
• Don't run (as their instincts are to chase)
• Stay together if you're with a group
• Face the animal and speak firmly while you slowly back away
• Don't crouch down (instead, try to appear "larger")
• Don't take your eyes off the animal or turn your back on it
• If it doesn't go away, shout at it, wave your arms and throw anything you can at it

SooToday is waiting for the ministry to confirm what kind of cat the Gendrons spotted in their yard on Wednesday.