SAN JUAN ISLAND, Wash. — The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) is investigating a cougar sighting on San Juan Island, according to Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
On Monday afternoon, people reported seeing a cougar in Roche Harbor.
WDFW has listed the sighting as unconfirmed.
Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and WDFW are suggesting that you can prevent dangerous encounters with cougars by:
- Don’t feed local wildlife, particularly prey for couragrs.
- Feed your pets inside and don’t leave them outside between dusk and dawn.
- If outside, pets and children should be under direct supervision.
- At night, secure livestock in a shelter.
- Avoid going by yourself in the early morning and the evening.
- Make sure to trim vegetation around your home where cougars can hide or even stalk.
- Use motion sensor lighting around the outside of your home.
If you encounter a cougar, you should stay calm and don’t run.
Make yourself as big and scary as possible, like shouting, waving your arms, and throwing objects at the cougar to scare it away.
Washington has had few cougar attacks, with the only two fatal attacks in the last century.
WDFW is asking that if you see a cougar, call 877-933-9847 or report it online here.
They encourage sending videos and photos with your report.