It was during our second of three autumn trips to Western Canada that the group had an extraordinary run of luck. While on a small boat at Zeballos in search of Sea Otters, tour leader Tim Melling spotted an animal swimming between two nearby islands. A split second later, the valleys were resounding with his scream of 'Cougar!' and the boat raced forward to take a better look.

Cougar by Tim Melling

The Cougar was swimming just a few metres in front of the boat, before it climbed out onto the rocks and paused for a few seconds, posing for the cameras. Without shaking itself dry, it took a mighty bound and disappeared into dense vegetation, though its presence was betrayed by an entourage of agitated birds.

Few people ever even glimpse a Cougar in the wild, let alone watch one at such close range. This trip was certainly overdrawn on its luck quota, as just the day before, they had watched a family of six Wolves playing on a beach at close range for nearly an hour, as well as seeing all the expected Whales and Bears.

To find out more about our 'Canada - The West' tour, please click here.