It’s likely that the Parson Russell terrier killed Monday in Camas was attacked by a cougar, according to Dave Hughes, an officer at the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“It’s one of those where we can’t say 100 percent it was a cougar who took the dog, but I can’t say 100 percent it was not a cougar,” he said.
Fish and Wildlife officers got a call about a missing dog and possible cougar attack Monday off of Northwest Couch Street in Camas.
“The dog was gone, and we went over and looked around,” he said. “You could see in the bark dust there was a scuffle.”
Some entrails were left behind, and a blood trail led under a fence away from the house.
Officials found the dog’s collar, which had been sliced open. Cougars or bobcats have sharp enough claws to do that, Hughes said, but investigators found no paw prints or other solid evidence pointing to a cougar.
“It’s hard when the animal’s gone like that. It’s hard to say 100 percent sure what did it,” he said.
A greenbelt runs through Camas, so sightings of bears and cougars are not uncommon there, or in Clark County, Hughes said.
Last week, Fish and Wildlife officials received a call about a large cat seen in west Camas, he said. The person saw it in a residential cul-de-sac before it ran off, and described seeing a large cat with a long tail, indicative of a cougar rather than a bobcat, Hughes said.
Fish and Wildlife has traps they could use, he said, but it’s unlikely the cat would return to the dog’s house. Setting one elsewhere around more developed Clark County might only draw it closer to people, which is what game officials don’t want.
After Tuesday’s rain, dogs would have a hard time tracking a cougar, he said, and Fish and Wildlife officials would rather not traipse through private property tracking it.
“We ask the public to keep their eyes open, and if they cross (the cougar), to let us know right away,” Hughes said.
Call 911 for first-hand sightings, he said. For less pressing cougar-related information, call Fish and Wildlife’s regional office at 360-696-6211.
As a rule, Hughes encourages concerned residents to keep pets indoors and keep livestock in barns or coops at night.
Cougar attacks against humans are exceedingly rare, but Hughes and Fish and Wildlife reminded residents about a few tips to stay safe should they encounter one up close: Don’t act like prey. Get big, don’t run and don’t take your eyes off of the cat or turn your back on it. If it seems aggressive, yell at it or throw things at it.
