A Sunshine Coast woman, inspired by a Global News story about wildlife photos, decided to start capturing images herself with stunning results.
“I’ve always enjoyed hiking and tracking and looking for wildlife while I’m out hiking,” Mary Beth Pongrac said.
“But, you know, it’s hard. You have to go quietly and you have to be at the right time at the right place.”
However, Pongrac said she when she saw a story on Global Calgary about a couple installing wildlife cameras on their property, she could not believe what they managed to capture.
So she decided to give it a try.
The 65-year-old got to work, putting up a motion- and heat-activated camera on a nearby trail.
It did not take long before she started to see results.
Pongrac said the camera captured cougars, bears and bobcats.
She now has 11 wildlife trail cameras set up throughout the Sunshine Coast and her hard work has been rewarded.
Pongrac has some amazing video of elk, a mama bear with cubs, a spotted skunk and even a rare sighting of a Western Screech Owl.
But her favourite remains an up-close encounter with a large cat.
“What are the chances, in the middle of nowhere, that the cougar stopped, centred, in front of my camera, lying down for a bit,” Pongrac said.
She installs the cameras in areas where there have been signs of wildlife but she does not disclose their locations to protect the animals.
However, she said people who hike in that area would be amazed to know how much wildlife uses the same trails.
“It shows the animals aren’t out there to get us,” she said. “They’re not. It’s quite phenomenal.”