Cougar spotted in Philomath

[Emily]

http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/ ... 03286.html

By Bennett Hall, Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Thursday, December 10, 2009 4:20 pm | Loading…
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PHILOMATH - A cougar sighting was reported Thursday afternoon in an east Philomath neighborhood.
Members of a nonprofit group working at Peace Lutheran Church, 2540 Applegate St., saw the animal walking through a field about 2 p.m. and called 911.
"We watched it for about 10 minutes," said Wilma Van Schelven of Love INC, which was cleaning up after a charity event at the church. "It was just sauntering along the treeline."
Philomath Police Chief Ken Elwer and two of his officers turned out to look for the mountain lion, along with a Benton County sheriff's deputy. All were armed with rifles.
Elwer said they didn't find the animal, but he believes the sighting was genuine. He said officers were planning to kill the cougar on advice from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
"There's a danger to humans," Elwer said. "They feel it's lost its fear of humans."
The sighting occurred in a residential area not far from a city park and Philomath High School. It was also about a half-mile from Neabeack Hill, where a pair of small dogs chased a mountain lion out of their owner's back yard on Memorial Day.
Elwer said there have been about half a dozen cougar sightings in Philomath over the past two years, but it wasn't clear how many of the big cats might be roaming the area. None has been caught.
The chief said no special safety precautions were necessary, but he did ask that anyone who sees a cougar in the area call the Philomath Police Department at 929-6911 or the emergency dispatch center at 911.
"If they see it, they need to call us right away," Elwer said.