The Town of Okotoks is taking the proper precautions after a resident reported they heard a cougar in the river valley last week.

While there's been no confirmed sightings to the Town's knowledge, signs were posted in the area reminding residents to be cautious of wildlife.

Christa Michailuck, parks manager for the Town of Okotoks, says it's not unlikely for cougars to be in the region.

"Cougars are native to the area and the river valley is a major wildlife corridor so you could expect cougars would travel through that area."

She adds residents should be cautious of who they could be sharing park space with.

"Remember to keep dogs on leash, it's not an off leash area, that's for their own safety and the dogs and the integrity of the river valley ecosystem," she says. "There's other animals as well to watch out for when you're travelling through the river valley in particular. This time of year there's lots of deer down there and does having their fawns and does are protective over new fawns."

Any cougar sightings or aggressive animal incidents should be reported to the Town and Fish and Wildlife. If there's an emergency residents should call 911.

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