INSIDE

Idea of cougars have some spooked

By Meg Olson

While there have been no official reports of cougar in Point Roberts, there’s plenty of talk that one of the big cats may have moved in.
Employees at Westwind Marine said a customer in early October claimed he saw a cougar on Tyee Drive in mid-morning. “He said it just ran across in front of him and was definitely a cougar,” said owner Buzz Buckler.

Whether that first report has sparked visions of wildcats or there is a cougar on the Point, rumors of reported sightings continue to grow. Water commissioner Sue Johnson said she has heard of three different people claiming to have seen the cougar, one being her son. “He said he saw it and is absolutely adamant,” she said, adding that his sighting was on Benson Road at Moose Trail.

Sheriff’s deputy Jeff Turner said they had no reports of cougar sightings, and inspectors at the border also said they hadn’t received any information. Local state department of fish and wildlife (DFW) enforcement officer Russ Mullins said some cougar sightings turn out to be coyotes, and with this year’s coyote Point Roberts population as large, healthy and golden as they are, he could see an observer at a distance mistaking a “mousing” coyote for a cat.

Sergeant Bill Heink is the DFW’s chief enforcement officer for Skagit and Whatcom counties, and also has heard no reports of a cougar in Point Roberts, but he wouldn’t say it couldn’t happen. “We’ve had them show up in some pretty unlikely places where you get a call and think no way,” he said, including one on Camano Island.

“They travel a large area,” Heink said, and the recent fire in Burns Bog may have driven cats from there to seek happier hunting grounds. “The main criteria for them is prey animals,” he said. “Basically they’ll eat anything smaller than they are.”

Heink said the possibility of a cougar living on the Point was no more a problem than the coyote population, provided they weren’t in conflict with people, pets and livestock. “We don’t necessarily come out just on a sighting or two unless there are other circumstances,” he said. “A lot of sightings are just cougars being cougars and it’s nothing to be alarmed about. As long as they have a little elbow room and food.” On Camano Island, he said DFW relocated the cat after it started eating sheep.

If the community has concerns about safety awith the possibility of a cougar in the area, he recommends they follow the same guidelines he uses in his own backyard. “I make sure the kids are in at prime time for predators,” he said, which is at night but especially dawn and dusk.
Heink also recommends eliminating cover for the animals near livestock or where children could be playing. Runners should also avoid low-light conditions and brushy areas: the cat’s mainstay is deer and if you look and act like one your chances of being attacked go up. “You should probably make lots of human noises,” Heink recommends.
An actual attack is extremely rare, Heink said. “It’s not impossible but very, very unlikely.” In case of an attack experts recommend you fight back vigorously: they don’t want a fight, just a meal. If confronted by a cat, look big and sound mean and chances are you’ll scare the timid animal away.

If anyone can document a cougar sighting on the Point, Heink recommends they call the DFW Mill Creek office at 360/775-1175 or, if there is an immediate danger after hours, the state patrol dispatch at 360/676-2076.