Six weeks ago a cougar killed a cyclist and attacked another in California. Although attacks are rare, and deaths are even rarer, the incidents have reinforced the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s aggressive strategy to reduce human-cougar conflicts.
The highest number of complaints comes from the Okanogan Valley, northeastern Washington and the Puget Sound lowlands. DFW intends to reduce cougar populations in areas where the cougars have raised the greatest concern.
A three-tier approach to the problem has been taken by the agency: reducing the cougar population, research and education.
There are 2,000 to 4,000 cougars in the state, according to various estimates. Sixty-one cougars have been targeted and 43 have been killed since Jan. 1 by hunters with special permits, following 100 deaths in the regular hunting season, according to the DFW.
No one has been killed by a cougar in this state since 1924, and there’s been an average of one or two non-fatal attacks per year over the past decade, according to department records.
Control efforts have included offering a bounty, hunting with dogs, expanded hunting season (110 cougars in 2003), and removal of specific cougars that are a danger to the public, pets or livestock.
Since 1997, DFW reported that an average of 243 cougars have been killed each year since 1997 (an average of 188 a year were killed in the previous five-year period). The result has been a drastic drop in the number of cougar-related complaints.
But all efforts are not devoted to killing the big cats. Fish and Wildlife has started new research projects and a public-education program.
The agency is doing a population study with DNA samples, tracking cougar movement with radio collars, and increasing public education.
If you live in cougar country, the agency suggests keeping pets indoors or in kennels, never leaving pet food or food scraps outside, supervising your children outside, and storing garbage in containers so odors do not attract small animals — which attract cougars.
If you’re hiking in cougar country, DFW suggests not hiking alone, making enough noise to avoid surprising a cougar, keeping your camp clean, keeping small children in sight, and not approaching dead animals (possibly a cougar’s next meal).
If you meet a cougar, do not run because it triggers the cat’s chase instinct. Stop and try to appear as large as possible, pick up small children, and never take your eyes off the animal or turn your back. If the cougar seems aggressive, wave your arms, throw rocks and shout, convincing the cougar that you are a danger.
But what if it still attacks? Wildlife experts say fight back aggressively and try to stay on your feet. Cougars have been chased off by people who fought back.
And try to keep it all in perspective. How many hikers do you know have even glimpsed a cougar, let alone been threatened by one?
Women and outdoors: A study is examining women’s perceptions and uses of the outdoors from urban parks to wilderness areas.
Lilace Guignard is conducting the study at the University of Nevada-Reno. If you are a female and are at least 18 years old, you can answer Guignard’s questions online, a 15-minute task.
The Web site is www.unr.nevada.edu/~lilace.
If you have enabled a pop-up killer on your computer, you will need to temporarily disable it in order to run the survey.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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