Yukon conservation officers are looking into a report that a cougar was seen at 5 a.m. last Sunday on Two Mile Hill.

A spokesperson for the service told The Yukon Star this morning that “conservation officers received a TIPP report of a cougar sighting near Two Mile Hill.” TIPP stands for Turn in Poachers and Polluters.

“Officers take all reports seriously, and responded to the area,” the spokesperson added.

“At this time, the report remains unconfirmed, and no reliable evidence has been provided to officers (such as tracks, photos or video recordings). No other reports were received about a sighting.”

Cougars are listed as a Yukon species on the conservation officers’ website at Yukon.ca/en/cougar. There have been confirmed observations of cougars in the Yukon, but they are rare.

The spokesperson added, “For every reported sighting, the quality of the report is determined based on factors including: distance of the sighting, how detailed of a look the observer got, distinguishing characteristics observed, what the lighting and environmental conditions were like, what the habitat was like, the ambient conditions, and activity of the animal, and lastly, whether there is any evidence of a cougar – photographs, visible tracks, hair samples, etc.”

The person who posted the sighting on social media said he “ran back down the hill to the gas station” after seeing the animal.