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If you see a cougar
• Stop, pick up small children immediately, and don't run. Rapid movements might trigger an attack. At close range, their instinct is to chase.
• Face the cougar. Talk to it firmly while slowly backing away. Leave the animal an escape route.
• Try to appear larger than the cougar. Get above it (such as step up onto a rock or stump). If wearing a jacket, hold it open to increase your apparent size. If you are in a group, stand shoulder-to-shoulder to appear intimidating.
• Do not take your eyes off the cougar. Do not crouch down or try to hide.
• Never approach the cougar, especially if it is near a kill or with kittens, and never offer it food.
• If the cougar does not flee, be more assertive. If it shows signs of aggression (crouches with ears back, teeth bared, hissing, tail twitching, and hind feet pumping in preparation to jump), shout, wave your arms and throw anything you have available (water bottle, book, backpack). Convince the cougar that you are not prey, but a potential danger.
• If the cougar attacks, fight back. Be aggressive and stay on your feet. Cougars have been driven away by people who have fought back using sticks, rocks, shovels, clothing, pepper spray — even bare hands.
Source: Department of Fish and Wildlife
Witnesses see cougars near Yauger Park
By Venice Buhain | The Olympian
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The Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed sightings of a cougar on Olympia's westside on Monday and over the weekend.
DFW agents did not find the cougar after searching the Yauger Park area, but tracking dogs caught a scent, agency spokesman Chuck Boland said.
The two sightings were near Cooper Point Road after 5:30 a.m., Olympia police reported.
One witness reported seeing a cougar near the Target and Ace Hardware shopping areas and the other witness was a Washington State Patrol trooper who saw a cougar near Yauger Park, Olympia police said.
A homeowner on Kaiser Road also reported finding claw marks and a torn screen Friday, Boland said. He added there was a report of blood and hair at the scene, which may indicate the cougar was injured.
Cougars generally avoid people and attacks are rare, but residents are advised to keep pets indoors at night, which is when cougars hunt, Boland said.
Residents also should avoid leaving pet food outside, he added.
Olympia police asked that residents in the area keep a close eye on young children and pets when they are outdoors and to avoid going into wooded areas.
Park users also are advised to use caution around the wooded parts of Yauger Park and Grass Lake Park, particularly on the trails.
Confirmed cougar sightings should be reported to 9-1-1, police say.
Cougar sightings have become more common in the past decade or so, as booming construction has approached their natural habitat.
The last South Sound sighting was about a week ago in Winlock.
Years ago, voters decided to outlaw hunting cougars. But they became a public safety issue so the ban was partially reinstated in 2000.
Locally, cougars have not been much of an issue, but black bears were killed in Lacey and Yelm late last spring when they approached urban areas.
Venice Buhain is a reporter for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5445 or vbuhain@theolympian.com.
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