Possible cougar sighting not a safety concern

YAKIMA, Wash. -- A young cougar may have been spotted passing through the uplands area of Cowiche Canyon a couple of weeks ago, but state wildlife officials are emphasizing that it doesn't pose a public safety problem.

A resident near the Scenic Drive entrance to Cowiche Canyon reported seeing what might have been a young cougar, perhaps 30 to 40 pounds. At this time of year, the animal might be a young male that "got booted out of the den and is now looking for some territory of his own," said state Department of Fish and Wildlife enforcement Sgt. Morgan Grant.

Cougar sightings aren't exactly routine in rural parts of the county but are certainly not rare, considering the large numbers of elk and deer in the wildlife areas and wooded slopes west of Yakima.

"We have the biggest smorgasbord (for cougars) just to the west of us at Oak Creek, and we have tons of elk at Snow Mountain Ranch. We have cougars as part of our landscape," Cowiche Canyon Conservancy executive director Betsy Bloomfield said. "We just have to be aware of how we live with wildlife."

Grant said there have been no further sightings and no reports of missing pets, which might indicate a cougar trying to establish territory and a prey base.

"If we get some reports in the next couple of weeks of dogs or cats missing, maybe we'll take a closer look," Grant said. "Do we consider this a public safety issue? No, not at all."