A cougar in rural Monroe? Not all that unusual. But a cougar spotted near an elementary school and suspected of attacking more than half a dozen farm and domesticated animals — now that's a bit more concerning.
"That was Betsy—that's Betsy right there," Mark Portugal said, pointing towards a mound of dirt in his backyard.
The beloved pet llama was killed last week; Portugal found her ripped to shreds.
"The stomach was gone, was—some of the intestines were strewn, the fur was—yeah all over the place," he said.
A cougar appears to be making the rounds on Wagner Road. Other animals were attacked, some were killed—including a ram down the street from Mark. And there have been cougar sightings within a quarter mile of Salem Woods Elementary School.
Ben Taggart's sheep is a survivor.
"She had a gouge in her throat. It was really deep and large enough that the vet put her finger in there and it looked like a big sized tooth had gotten in there," Taggart explained.
After numerous complaints he says the Department of Fish and Wildlife finally came out to Wagner Road. Taggart, Portugal and others were hoping they'd set a trap.
"Obviously they're the experts on animal behavior around these parts but my wife grew up on a farm, she's from Portland, she knows the area and the animals around here and she felt her concerns were being dismissed," Taggart told us.
The department told the Taggarts, Portugal, and me when I called Wednesday, that while they believe there is a cougar in the area, they aren't convinced it's responsible for these attacks; they think it could be coyotes.
They also say it's difficult to set a trap because it requires a fresh kill.
But Portugal can't forget what he saw.
I've seen coyotes rip stuff apart, take it and gone—this was definitely—a big part of her is missing," he said.
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