Farmers near Spencerville, Ont. say a suspected cougar is attacking their sheep

At the end of August, Misfits Farmstead near Spencerville, Ont. noticed one of their lambs had gone missing.

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"We have a small herd of sheep, so we know every one of them. They all have names," Ashley Ladouceur explained.

She co-owns the farm with her husband, A.J. Mouchet, and after some deliberation, they both figured the sheep probably slipped through the fence and wandered off.

But then it happened again about a week later, only this time, two lambs went missing and there was a trail of evidence.

"So that's when we started thinking, what kind of predator could take two lambs? Because they're not small," Ladouceur explained.

They started doing some research, and figured the only thing that made sense was some kind of wildcat, most likely a cougar.

At least once a week since the first sheep went missing, their herd keeps getting smaller. Misfits Farmstead had 25 sheep, and they’re now down to 19 since the alleged predator started taking them.

"It comes back every week like clockwork," Ladouceur explained.

Wool from sheep that were attacked by a predator. Oct. 7, 2024. (Jack Richardson/CTV News Ottawa).

The farm breeds sheep and sells them to other farms, but the predator has killed four of the five males in the herd.

“It is not a simple process. You invest in these things," said.

Our flock is being decimated, and at the rate of which this predator or this cougar is coming to snatch our sheep, they'll all be gone in three months."

The lone surviving male, named Bobby, also appears to have been attacked by the wildcat, but somehow made it out alive.

"We’re very lucky he didn’t get taken."

Ladouceur also raised concerns about their other animals if all the sheep end up being taken. They have cows, chickens, pigs, turkeys and many others that would evidently be defenseless against a predator like a cougar.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has inspected the fencing at Misfits Farmstead and set up their own camera to try to gather more information on the predator.

"I wouldn't say it provides a ton of comfort," said Mouchet, who accompanied workers from the ministry to choose a location for the camera.

"It's kind of a roll of the dice that it's going to pick something up. But odds are if there's something going back and forth, that hopefully is the right spot."

Screenshot of overnight security footage from Misfits Farmstead showing a large cat-like figure in the bottom right corner. (Courtesy: Ashley Ladouceur).

According to the province’s wildlife and nature website, cougars are the largest and most powerful wildcat in Canada, but they’re shy and are rarely seen by humans.

In 2022, cougars were deemed a species of special concern in Ontario, meaning they are wild and have the potential to become endangered.