One year ago this week, a cougar was captured after causing quite a stir in Discovery Park. To mark the occasion, we decided to find out how that cougar is doing today.
Rich Beausoleil, a cougar and bear specialist with Fish and Wildlife, tells us the young cougar is alive and well. You may remember that the cougar was equipped with a special collar that allows wildlife officials to track it using GPS and cell phone tower signals. After being released in Northeast King County, the cougar traveled over Snoqualmie Pass and is now living in the wilds of Kittitas County.
“It was just in the wrong place at the wrong time in Discovery Park,” said Beausoleil. “We gave it a second shot and it is doing great.”
The collar is designed to fall off the cougar in another year, but wildlife officials hope to get a lot more information before that happens.
We wanted to share one more tale about the cougar who spent time in Magnolia before being caught early Sunday morning in Discovery Park. While the cougar has now been relocated to Snohomish County, Magnolia Voice reader Karen sent us this story of a co-worker who saw him but never reported her sighting because she knew no one would believe her:
My co-workers and I were discussing the cougar situation (the day after it was caught)…we are tour bus driver’s at Gray Line of Seattle and I’m personally interested in the subject, not only as a topic of narration for passengers, but because I live on Magnolia (on 36th near Bertona a few doors away from the alley sighting – luckily our 4 cats are strictly indoor).
Anyway, my co-worker and friend Patty added her cougar sighting, which she never reported. Before the cougar was first reported in the news, she was sitting in her tour bus with 26 people on the Magnolia side of the locks. The cougar was across the street on the road (daylight hours) that comes down from the park, which is also a bike path. It looked at her (not afraid). She announced to the group that there was a bobcat over there…or perhaps a “what do you call those things….cougar?” None of the other passengers saw the thing, as this particular bus is designed more for sky viewing (glass top).
The cougar turned on it’s rather long tail, and walked up the bike path. Later, everyone at the bus yard convinced Patty that there are no cougars in Seattle, and she must have seen a dog.
We are sure there were lots of stories like this after the cougar was captured. Makes us wonder how many other people may have seen the cougar while he was roaming here but never reported it because we all know there are no cougars in Magnolia.
The cougar who has been spotted in Magnolia for the past week has been captured and released back into the wild somewhere in Snohomish County. Discovery Park has reopened to the public.
The cougar was captured this morning around 2 a.m. by wildlife officials and tracking dogs (see photos). The cougar is said to be healthy and weighs 138 pounds. Wildlife officials tell us that is a good size cat for the city and that he is “timid and shy and well-behaved as cougars go.”
We’ve been covering the story all day since we first reported the capture this morning. Here’s the story on the cougar’s capture, an interview with the wildlife official who caught the cougar this morning, an interview with nearby residents and information about how they will now track the cougar via text message once he is released. Our updated cougar sighting map is here.
It was a thrill for us to get to see this amazing animal up close, and here is our favorite picture of the cougar.
The cougar was never given a name but is now known as his tag number, which is 1010. We wish 1010 safe travels.
Many Magnolia residents have been on edge for the past week as reports of a cougar on the loose shut down Discovery Park.
Trish Swift and Heather Mascolo live close to the park and they are very happy that the cougar has been captured and is on his way to a more appropriate location:
First on Magnolia Voice: Wildlife officers captured the cougar in Discovery Park early this morning. Dogs were able to track the cougar’s scent in the rain, and they chased it up a tree. Wildlife officers successfully tranquilized and captured the animal. Photos and coverage follow below:
UPDATED 9 a.m.: The cougar is starting to wake up and wildlife officials are getting ready to take him to Snohomish County where he will be released into the wild. These pictures show that he is lifting his head and moving around in his enclosure.
Wildlife officials are monitoring him carefully and say that he is doing very well.
UPDATED 8 a.m.: Discovery Park will reopen at 11 a.m. today. The cougar is now sedated and resting in a truck. He is about three years old and weighs 138 pounds. He was captured at 2 a.m.
Department of Wildlife officials received information about another sighting from someone working at the Daybreak Center at 7pm and officer Nicholas Jorg came in at midnight to hunt the cougar.
Even with the pouring rain, they were able to pick up the scent and the dogs found the cougar. He was on the road that leads to the cultural center in a big leaf maple tree.
Updated 7:30am: Here are the first pictures of the captured cougar:
The elusive cougar that has been spotted in Magnolia and Discovery Park has been caught. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials tell us that they brought dogs in around 2 a.m. today, the dogs caught the scent of the cougar and chased it up a tree inside the park. Officials used a tranquilizer gun and got the cat out of the tree. We’re told that the cougar is fine and will be released this afternoon.
Updated 6 p.m. Police are stationed at the entrances to Discovery Park, making sure that visitors do not enter the park. They are allowing employees from the wastewater treatment plant to go to work but no one else is allowed inside the park until they catch the cougar. If they don’t catch the cougar by Monday morning, state wildlife officials will come up with a new plan. Police tell us that anyone who enters the park can be fined $124 dollars.
Updated 4 p.m. We now have additional details on the cougar sighting this morning. Wildlife officials say the cougar was observed by a man who lives on Commodore Way just northeast of the park. He apparently opened his door and saw the cougar in his driveway before it fled into Discovery Park.
And it now appears that raccoon remains found in the park this morning are not linked to the cougar. Its more likely that the raccoon was eaten by a homeless person, according to the Seattle Parks Department. Parks spokeswoman Joelle Ligon told our partners at The Seattle Times that the carcass was found next to a fire pit where officials believe the homeless person was camping. Despite the fact the raccoon carcass was not left by the cougar, the state set another trap near that site on the east side of the park. Wildlife officials initially thought the raccoon carcass, which was found by a Seattle Parks Department employee, was left by the cougar.
Updated 2 p.m. The Department of Fish and Wildlife says that there was one sighting of the cougar in Discovery Park this morning. Spokesman Darren Friedel confirms the sighting and tells us he is not sure exactly what time the cougar was observed in the park but he says it was seen in the area of the west entrance. Officials are actively working to trap and relocate the cougar.
Updated 12 p.m. A raccoon carcass was found at the park this morning. Enforcement officers plan to set another trap in the park near the site of that carcass. Cougars are known to eat smaller animals like racoons.
We just checked with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the cougar is still on the loose. ”Nothing yet. But our officers and park officials are continuing to monitor the area,” says spokesman Darren Friedel.
Discovery Park will remain closed until Monday, unless the cougar is captured. They are hoping to catch the cougar and relocate it to a rural area. As you can see in this picture from The Seattle Times, officials from Fish and Wildlife set a trap in the park yesterday but so far the big cat is not taking the bait. We will keep you updated throughout the day. More coverage here and here.
Magnolia voice reader Linda wrote to let us know that she may have encountered the cougar on Wednesday:
Last night when I went out to move a garbage can and pick some tomatoes, I scared a large animal that ran through my back yard, into the bushes, and down a bank towards 31st. Based on the movement of the bushes, it appeared to be about 3 feet tall. I didn’t get a good enough look to positively ID it, but it is most likely the elusive cougar as it was big and moved very fast.
This location is consistent with other reports from residents.
A steady stream of cars arrived at Discovery Park this afternoon, only to learn the park was closed as wildlife officials attempt to trap a cougar that has been on the loose for the past week.
There were notices posted at all entrances to the park and it looks like they are a little short of signs since they are using this snow closure barricade at the north entrance.
Many people who arrived at the park were disappointed to find out it would be closed during the Labor Day weekend. The 534 acre park’s many trails and viewpoints are extremely popular with locals and visitors.
This jogger had to find an alternate route. Wildlife officials plan to keep the park closed until Monday, unless they are able to trap the cougar earlier.
Lots of cars arrived at the north entrance, only to turn around after learning the park was shut down.
Here is the sign at the south gate. We didn’t see anyone guarding the park’s entrances but the signs did seem to be keeping visitors away.
Updated 5 p.m.Early this afternoon, wildlife officials shut down Discovery Park and initiated a search for the Magnolia cougar. People are being told to leave the park, and we’re told it will not reopen until Monday at the earliest, unless they catch the cougar.
Signs are now being put up at the park, like this one in the visitors center.
And this notice is posted at the south entrance. Darren Friedel with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife says that they received another call last night about a cougar in Discovery Park. “The reports seem credible,” he says, so Fish & Wildlife officers have set a trap within Discovery Park and will try to track the cougar with Karelian bear dogs. “The hope is to trap and relocate the cougar,” Friedel tells us.
This is the trap covered in ferns, using fish for bait. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7). And watch this video from the Times demonstrating how the trap works.
The latest sighting is believed to be from “SeattleRio” who posted a comment here on Magnolia Voice last night. ”We spotted the cougar nearby the Navy government housing south of the flagpole at 5 p.m.,” SeattleRio said. “SPD responded after we contacted them, but was unable to observe anything afterwards.” We updated the map with the latest sighting:
(Click the icons for details of each sighting.)
Magnolia Voice first posted the news about a sighting a week ago, and many more sightings have been reported to us (here and here) over the last few days, attracting city-wide media coverage.
Until this afternoon, some neighbors had complained in comments and email that the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife was not taking the sightings seriously enough. “Why doesn’t DFW just set some traps?” Magnolia resident Marilyn asked yesterday. “A week into this and they won’t come out without a phone call made during a sighting, and then it will take them 20 minutes to get there. Are we supposed to ask the cougar to wait?”
For information about what to do if you encounter a cougar, visit here.
Reports of a cougar roaming in Magnolia prompted our partners at the Seattle Times to take a look back at a cougar who was found in Discovery Park 1981. He was called D.B. Cougar, after the elusive hijacker D.B. Cooper who dropped from the sky and disappeared, because the big cat seemed to have simply dropped into the park.
Initially wildlife agents were skeptical of reports from Magnolia residents. When wildlife officers found evidence that the cougar had likely killed raccoons in the park, they decided the reports might be real and stepped up efforts to find the cougar.
They raked a sand dune along the park’s bluff to make it smooth, hoping the cougar would leave footprints. When he did they made a plaster cast of the print and it was identified as a male cougar weighing in the 115-pound range.
Wildlife officials tracked the cougar with dogs late that night and captured him on the bluff in the park. He was eventually released near Enumclaw.
Here is the latest from Seattle Police regarding the cougar sightings in our area.
Some sightings didn’t given a specific location, so we’re unable to plot them on the map. If you have a verified sighting, let us know (in comments or email us) and we’ll add it here.
We spoke with Joelle Ligon from the Parks Department this morning who told us that so far there have been no reports from within Discovery Park. She says that the Department of Fish and Wildlife has told the Parks Department that they have a “bear and cougar dog at the ready.” She says that DFW has told them that this cougar seems to move around at night and if you see it you’re to call 911.
Darren Friedel with the Department of Fish and Wildlife says that as of 3:30 this afternoon, there has been only one report of a cougar sighting in Magnolia. That call came in yesterday morning. Another call later in the morning reported a possible cougar in the Greenwood area. Friedel stresses that it’s important to call the minute you see the cougar, don’t wait until the next day. “That will help us determine if there’s a pattern. If it’s staying in one place or moving around,” he told us. If you see the cougar during normal business hours call the Mill Creek office of the DFW at 425-775-1311. He also says that if you see the cougar at night to call 911.
