Natalee Dennis was sitting in an outdoor hot tub with her father, Steve Dennis, when they heard an animal nearby.
Thinking it was a raccoon or a cat, Dennis grabbed her cellphone to use the flashlight and start filming.
โWe got something down here?โ her dad asked her, peering over the edge of the tub in Tofino, on B.C.โs Vancouver Island.
โProbably the raccoons,โ he says as a pair of glowing yellow eyes can be seen peering through foliage. โCโmon. Cโmon.โ
Moments later, Dennis gets a better view, exclaiming, โOh, it is a cougar, Dad!โ
โIt is! It is!โ she repeats as her father replies, โNo, itโs notโ at the same time the video captures the animalโs head and upper torso peering directly at them.
โHoly shit! Ho ho! Yes indeed,โ her dad can be heard saying just as the video cuts off, and the pair splash to the far side of the tub.
Father and daughter Steve and Natalee Dennis were relaxing in their hot tub in Tofino, B.C., when they thought they heard a raccoon nearby. Natalee started filming and captured the moment they discovered they had actually heard a cougar, sitting less than a metre away.
Dennis says her dad had encountered cougars before, and knowing what to do, they got out of the tub as calmly as possible and slowly moved inside, where they watched it for another 20 minutes or so.
โIt was just looking around,โ she said in an interview with CHEK News. โIt really is cool.โ
Many people agree: Dennis has posted the video to TikTok where it has received thousands of views and comments, many impressed by how calmly the pair reacted.
โYes indeed,โ in response to seeing a cougar mere feet away from you, is a new kind of class I aspire to achieve,โ wrote one viewer.
โWAAAAY too casual,โ said another.
But Wood says growing up in the area, both she and her dad are well-acquainted with how to react to a cougar even if it is staring at you while you sit in a hot tub.
โYou learn about staying calm if seeing a cougar,โ she said. Even so, she says, she never expected to be so close to one. โWe must have been only a foot away from it โฆ a 200-pound kitty next to us.โ
There have been several recent sightings of cougars on both Vancouver Island and the B.C. Lower Mainland but, according to numbers from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, there havenโt been any more reported sightings than average in recent months.
And while they can pose a risk, WildSafe B.C. says cougars attacking humans are rare.
The group says anyone who encounters a cougar is advised to โkeep calmโ and โnever run.โ Instead, it says you should โmake yourself look as large as possible and back away slowly, keeping the cougar in view and allowing a clear exitโ for the animal.
Dennis says the encounter hasnโt stopped her family from using their hot tub, but they are changing their hours for the time being.
โThe rule is weโll go in during the day but not at night right now.โ
