Washington State Dep. of Wildlife---AHHHH!! They wont help!!

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

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As it should!

OP- as with any wild animal that comes near humans, the cougar is looking for food.
Make sure it cant get an easy meal in your neighborhood, and it should move on.

20-30 years ago there were no cougars . . . thats NOT a good thing!

We have been making sure there isn't any pet food left out, garbage is contained, etc..but I think it *might* be feeding off of the raccoon population here.

But I am sure there are still people in the neighborhood that still feeds their animals outside or dumps old compost (i.e food scraps). So we are in the process of making signs to let the entire neighborhood know.

 

[barredrockgrl]

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Doesn't it? Just sayin......it's not their fault we moved in and took over. I always feel sorry for native wildlife that's squeezed out.

 

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

Exactly. I have BOTH parties in interest here. I want us to be safe, and our pets. But I also want to make sure the cougar is safe. This is not a good environment for it. It is rare to see any deer here and the biggest thing the poor thing can eat is a raccoon. It needs to be in the mountains, where it belongs, so that it can feed off of what cougars usually feed off of.

I feel bad for all the cougars and bears that have been showing up in suburbs. They really have no where else to go because they are being pushed out of their habitat.

I hope the media can help remind them too. I am sure they get a lot of calls reporting cougar sightings but when you have several people in one are who have called I think theres reason for concern there. It wouldn't hurt for them to come out and question us to confirm what we have seen/heard in the area. We are after all paying their salaries.

 

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

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Doesn't it? Just sayin......it's not their fault we moved in and took over. I always feel sorry for native wildlife that's squeezed out.

I know. I feel sorry for it too. Throughout this whole thing I keep reminding my family "the reason it is here is because its natural habitat is being taken over."

That's why I really want the wildlife department to help. They are experienced with relocating wild animals into a better suited habitat.

Its not like we personally (as in my neighbors and I) took over its habitat. Our houses were built in an already urban area. We are a suburb of one of Western, WA's largest cities. However they have been logging pretty heavily in the mountains...which is probably why the poor thing got driven out.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Rather than expressing concern for irt stalking your chickens, when you call the department, you need to express concern that it is stalking your children. And raise a huge stink about the fact that you live in an urban/subirban areas; that you are not out in the boonies where a protective shot fired at a stalking mountain lion is unlikely to hit any other living thing.

 

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

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Oh trust me. I went round in circles with them about the children way before I mentioned my chickens. The neighborhood kids are my first concern.

 

[mgw]

I live in wa. state also & have the same trouble with WDFW wow they are really something, find out if they do draw permits for hound hunting in your area . if they do maybe you can find out who drew the tag and get ahold them tell them your problem maybe they will come hunt it . A freind of mine &I treed one in the city limits of Postfalls ID. and shot it with a shotgun , the locals were actually happy about it they didnt even know it was around. Of course thats Idaho.

 

[andalusn]

I understand your concern regarding a possible cougar in your area but has there been a confirmed daytime sighting? Confirmed stalking behavior or attack on domestic animals? It's quite possible it's only passing through or the sound your hearing is not a cougar but some other animal.

WA State has a very informative web page http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/cougars.htm

We are very close to high density urban areas but in the country on 5 acres. Town gets closer each year and it's not uncommon to see bears close to your deck, coyotes on the run and bobcats. I am surrounded by coyotes that sing almost every night behind my house on state wetlands and they run through my horse pasture on their way to the den in the mornings. My chickens free range, the bald eagles fly overhead and racoons have wondered through my barn. The point being they can live close by and not do any harm. I would worry more about a starving animal than one getting what it needs easily from deer and rabbits. As a wildlife friend reminds me on occassion.. they are just trying to make a living. Most big cats don't hang around people and move on. What your hearing may also fade soon.

 

[huntercf]

As a native Washingtonian and now sequestered in CA, I can tell you the harm that the anti-hunting regs have done. In CA they banned cougar hunting altogether and the population exploded exponentially within a few short years. I remember when they banned cougar hunting with dogs in WA, my dad had to get rid of all his dogs and lost a bit of income that came with guided hunts. Cougars have always been around but because they were properly managed through hunting most people would go their whole lives without seeing one. Now there are so many, and yes we are encroaching on their habitat, they need to come into our domain in search of food (usually pets). A large tom down here was spotted with a german shepard in its mouth going over an 8' fence.

Now that I have said that, I don't think you are going to get far with WDFG because it is ran by people in Seattle who don't understand how to manage wildlife. Before the naysayers jump on my case, my dad used to work for WDFG and I could go on about the idiocies that started coming out of that department. You need to protect your kids, life and property. Since you live in the city I would recommend calling the police (not DFG) if you see one in your area. There was a cougar at the local mall a few years back and DFG shot it 3 times with a tranquilizer and it still attacked, the police were there and finally had enough silliness and shot it. Also, you could invest in a bow and practice. As far as them waiting for someone to be killed by a cougar, that won't work either, we have had several people killed by cougars down here and they say they are looking for it but then a few days later they say it must have left the area. SSS, means shoot, shovel, shutup. I would also recommend buying a pistol to carry with you, don't bother with a .22, I would recommend a .45. Yes, you can carry pepper spray but that doesn't always work with a determined predator.

Stay safe and good luck

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Do you have a lot of brush & trees around your house? If so, clear the brush & trim the trees. Get a few LGD's. Other than that--you might want to try to get a hold of the local news media. They'd love to hear about a cougar in your neighborhood (with children around) and how no one is helping you. Here--you can pretty much shoot first & ask questions later (if you catch the cougar in the act of killing livestock or pets, that is). My boss' husband is involved with a tracking program & DNA study they are doing on cougars. He used to hunt with hounds and when they outlawed that, he is now able to use the hounds (with a wildlife officer) to tree the cougar. Then, they shoot it with a tranquiler and tag it.