A father-daughter duo from Tofino had their relaxing evening in a hot tub take an unexpected turn when they came face-to-face with a cougar.
The hair-raising moment, caught on video, has since gone viral on TikTok, amassing over 800,000 views, 95,000 likes, and 1,000 comments.
Natalee and Steve Dennis were unwinding in their backyard hot tub when their pet cat’s unusual behaviour caught their attention. Curious about the strange rumblings just outside the tub, the pair turned on their flashlights, initially suspecting a raccoon might be lurking nearby.
To their shock, the lights revealed the glowing eyes of a cougar—a roughly 200-pound apex predator—standing less than a foot from the edge of the hot tub.
“Oh my god, Dad, that’s a cougar!” Natalee exclaimed in the video. Steve, in disbelief, replied, “No, it’s not,” before realizing the undeniable truth.
Despite the close proximity, the cougar didn’t show aggression. Instead, they said it appeared calm and curious as it observed the pair before eventually wandering off.
Natalee shared the encounter on TikTok, captioning the video “face-to-face with a cougar.” The clip quickly gained traction, with viewers from around the world marvelling at the calmness of both the family and the wild feline.
While the Dennis family escaped the encounter unharmed, the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of wildlife
@captain.natalee face to face with a cougar… Tofino BC
“We left the hot tub as soon as the video ends, keeping our eyes on the cougar the entire time. We made it inside within 10 seconds,” Natalee shared with Victoria Buzz.
“From there, we watched it through the window for about 15 to 20 minutes. It didn’t move—just stayed in the same spot, looking around. There were actually two cougars; you can see the eyes of the second one at the beginning of the video on the right. About 10 or 15 minutes later, they were spotted in a field roughly 5 kilometres away.”
Have you ever had a close wildlife encounter on Vancouver Island? Share your stories in the comments!
