Scientists at WSU have done some award-winning research on cougar population dynamics.

"Studying cougars in a specific area from the late 1990s until the early 2000s, Wielgus and his team of students found that while cougar sightings had steadily increased, the population, in fact, had declined at a rate of more than 10 percent per year. Hunters were going after the senior males and causing social disorder.

Wielgus’s findings contradicted the common notion that increased sightings meant an increasing population. In fact, says Wielgus, it’s the opposite. An older male will protect his territory, do his best to stay out of view, and preserve a social order that provides his mates the years they need to raise their kittens. If he’s gone, juvenile males will move in and kill his kittens, further reducing the population, particularly damaging the female population. Without an older male to keep them in check, in their new territory the juveniles will also chance more human and livestock encounters.

This work has changed hunting and wildlife management policies in the United States and Canada. At one time governments allowed for more hunting when there was an increase in human-cougar or human-bear encounters. Now in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia the hunting of these large predators has been restricted. Based on Wielgus’s findings, British Columbia has created seven grizzly bear preserves.

Wielgus directs the Large Carnivore Conservation Lab at WSU with the mission of helping maintain healthy predator/prey communities in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. He and his students and post-docs have studied cougars in the Washington, grizzlies in British Columbia, and brown bears in Europe. Now his students and other researchers who have studied his work are noting how this same behavior applies to large predators world-wide, including leopards, tigers, and cheetahs."

Those who choose to live in wildlife habitat should take the necessary precautions to protect their animals from being killed and predated on by wildlife, if they are so concerned (mainly at night when the predators are active) - i.e. keep pets inside at night or in a covered enclosure, etc.

Wildlife doesn't understand property lines or if someone's pet is 'off-limits' - and why should we expect them to? It is OUR responsibility care for our pets and livestock or hobby animals.

Additionally, these attacks on animals could also be done by coyotes, bobcats or a raccoon. It is not necessarily a mountain lion. It is pretty rare for a mountain lion to 'stick around' in one area for very long. They tend to be on the move and have home ranges anywhere from 40 square miles (female) to over 200 square miles (male) EACH. Also, deer make up 60% to 80% of their diet in North America. It is far more common for coyotes and raccoons to take pets than mountain lions - they are also more abundant - i.e. live in higher densities.

I would kindly ask people to think twice before assuming it is a mountain lion.

The bunny loving tree-huggers in Seattle made sure that we had to quit hunting bear and cougar with dogs, the only real sure way to hunt them and keep some fear of man in them. They are extremely difficult to boot hunt without dogs or bait. Regardless of the biology involved with killing older cats, the fact that they have large territories creates a situation where if there are too many of them, then their territory is going to be your back yard and having your pet for a snack.

We need to change the damn laws so these animals can be effectively hunted, (and that includes wolves) before they start chowing on our kids it's as simple as that. Kids or cougars what's it going to be?

Now lets be real here there is no way you should have to keep your dogs inside all of te time.but if you have to stand gard with a loaded shotgun or rifle then so be it.weather it be courgar,wolfves, bears or humans you should have the right to protect your land and animals with leathel force if need be.the american way or at least it use to be.

Get your gun out and waste them pussies!!!

When I was a kid in the 1950's cougars roamed my uncle's farm in what now are suburbs in the Pacific Northwest. Bears, coyotes foxes and racoons were always present, too. I saw them many times. The cougars were smarter and wary unless it was a dry season and their prey moved further toward the city. Then my uncle would lock up his livestock in barns at night. If one of the cougars dared to take his livestock during the day, he and the other farmers would go hunt down that one cougar. This happened perhaps 3 times in a decade. We (as children) were also told to stay near the house and we were told how to scare the big cats away or how to fight if we were attacked. We all had a healthy respect for the larger predators that were part of our world. Pets never were allowed outside except on a leash and if "barn" cats who weren't considered pets (they ate rodents and earned their keep) went missing, no one questioned they were killed by a large predator. All of my uncle's six children and several nieces and nephews were never attacked by cougars or bears or anything else. And, we hear the cougars crying from a distance, saw the bears when we were picking berries and many other animals. I think everyone with pets and kids need to take a common sense lesson from a farmer who lived and protected his family, pets and livestock during a time when these beautiful large predators were even more common in the Pacific Northwest. My uncle knew not to let his hunting dogs out at night or during the day when predators were on the prowl. Kids were told to behave and be wary. No pets were outside without a human along. We live in a world where we are constantly encroaching on wildlife territory . . . we need to learn from people who routinely lived close to bigger predators not so long ago.

I'm on the Cougars side, humans encroached on them.

I live on the other side of the state. Three years ago I saw a cougar in the bed of a pickup truck feasting on the carcass of a deer that a hunter had probably shot earlier that day. I thought that the hunter would have quite a shock when he returned to take the deer out of his truck. I was told by a wildlife management person that what I saw was not what I saw, that it was probably a stray tabby. All I have to say is that it was a huge tabby, because it was moving the deer, trying to get it out of the truck.

Same goes for the wolves being reintroduced into our area. The coyotes are being chased out of the area by the wolves. The problem is wildlife management has decided to dump the carcasses of dead animals that have been hit by cars outside of my town. This has become a huge feeding area for predators looking for quick take-out. I have seen cougar run out in front of my car at night, but I have been told the animals are just going through the area heading for another area and I should not worry about it. My problem is that with the ready food supply, will they move out of the area?

The caution is not to let these officials determine my behavior. I will not allow small children to play near tall grass or other members of my family to go far from the house at night. I keep my dogs tied near the house day and night.

If she loved her little dogs so much, why were they out unsupervised in cougar country?

Stop a multi million road for a Spider that no one seen for 30 years, but let people move in to land populated by cougars. All you wildlife lovers get what you deserve. How you like Wildlife now that it killing your pets? Now you want them gone you sure a hypocritical lot.

Pretty simple to correct - it is called wildlife management, of which our current leaders know little or nothing. Cougars breed and reproduce, then expand their territory. Man breeds, reproduces and expands his territory. Where the two meet, there is conflict. Fix: retain preserves for cats and other wildlife. Manage, by select hunting permits, to keep populations in check - that is why radio-tracking was invented. Peta and the rest of the anti-management group run on emotion and not on good sense or practical wild critter management.

We are over populating the earth and taking over everything, this is going too far. Calling animal control to kill of the few remaining wild animals is rediculous. For those that worry about their kids getting eaten, well keep your kids safe too. Geezuz H Christ on a phucking crutch! Have some common sense.

I've lost my dog (to old age) and it was painful. But my dog made it to 15 yrs old because I kept her safe. If you live next to the woods it is your responsibility to keep your pets safe. We have coyotes where I live now (can hear them yipping at night). They can jump fences so I keep my cat's in after dark.

All was woods once. Where I live is the 'burbs but in truth 200, 300, 400 years ago only natives and animals were here. Most don't bother with these posts, so what is said or suggested really is of no consequence. But one thing posted was oh so true. Officials driven by politics and people driven by idiocy ought no be upset when none pay them any attention at all. Use your common sense when it comes to wildlife. We have to deal with bears and coyotes and we never had them around here for 35 years. Why should we? Because PETA or BEAR, Inc. says so? Forget it..these beasts, gone for 150 years, are now back because these mis-named animal rights outfits have become one of the coalitions the local political party (guess which one) bows to. And when they scare and harm and kill, these oddballs attempt to somehow blame the victim. Forget it. Most up here ignore both the organizations and the craven officials anyway.

People have no common sense now adays. Don't let your pets out with out you there with them. You know you have big cats, etc. in the area. Good grief these look like to hot dogs (dachshounds) and this year has been bad on the wildlife for food, with fires , drought, etc. The economy isn't bright for the wildlife either. The lady moved into the cats area and she needs to get educated on what not to do. Might have been a owl or coyote as many others have said also. Just dumb people living where they shouldn't be if not willing to share the land with wildlife.

I love how some people are commenting "people should just use more birth control" really educated. Let me tell you, are you gonna go "oh the cougar was just hungry when he snatched my baby"? Really? If the area is overpopulated with cougars, then something needs to be done, trapping and moving or lethal if necessary. There is nothing wrong with legal, limited number hunts. Where only a limited number of licenses/tags are available. It's better than people doing it illegally. I'm also sorry that the woman lost her pets, but when you live where there are the potential for wild animals, it's just a part of life. Where I live i'm surrounded by foxes, coyotes, wild boar, etc...I really don't wanna know whats out there. But I take the chance of my animals staying outside that something could happen to them. I can't tell you how many cats I've had that have disappeared. My dogs I'm not worried about so much, as long as they have their rabies vaccines. It's part of life. But something needs to be done about this cougar before he does snatch a kid or small adult.

I find this hilarious. These are the same people who voted to end hunters ablity to use dogs when hunting Cougars. As predicted by pretty much everybody on the east side of the state, there is now a "problem". The same thing happened when they gave the sob story about trapping in WA state. Oh, it's inhumane. Now you can't even legally use gopher traps to rid your yard of the pests. Consequently it became a "Problem" when Seattle residents yards and parks became gopher towns. Careful what you wish for.

A child will have to be killed for the authorities to take action...

All these comments from the tree-hugging, anti-hunting, animal rights activist lots show the lack of education in sound management. It takes a lot more than paying a few bucks to be a member of such groups to be an expert on proper management. Although I could write a dissertation on each of the above, the point being is that wildlife/forestry management should be left to those qualified and not the voters. The anti's need to get their heads out of the sand. Thanks to hunters, there are wild turkey everywhere but Alaska, elk in states not seen since Daniel Boone's time and game/none game species that have reaped the benefits due to hunter dollars.

Yes, we are very bright. We built one city that had no water, LA and another one that is under water, New Orleans.

You were told this would happen!!!!!!! You voted yes on a PETA/California backed law that restricted the hunting, (control), of big cats in you state.

Robert Eagle...having lived in the NW for the first 45 years of my life, I am still trying to figure out where there is a "City" on the Oregon Coast. For Cripes sake, there is nothing bigger than a small town. Small. Every Single town on the Oregon Coast is just a foundation or 2 away from being a trailer park.

Not sure why you are so angry with Cougars or wild cats. For cripes sake, if you are such a knowledgable outdoor person, you should know that animals hunt. Just because we put up buildings and streets and call it a town - it's still the great outdoors.

And we have, as humans encroached on their territory more and more.

But - re-read the story. I can't see anything other than someone THINKING it must be a cougar. No picture, sighting or evidence. It's a coyote. They go into the city of Los Angeles. Cool animals.

That poor cougar is probably just hungry. It's our fault for destroying their habitat. It'd be wrong to destroy the cougar just because it is hungry=/ Haven't we killed enough wild animals? They are all going to be extinct soon thanks to us. I'd be upset if the cougar killed my pets, but I always supervise my pets when they are outside and keep them in at night. If you live next to the woods, expect wild animals. Don't call people to get rid of them, it's not their fault that you moved into their home.

Over here at www.pawsandtailssupplies.com we would be so very upset if we lost one of our animals that way.