Young cougar trapped, euthanized in Silverton

(Update: Cougar trapped, euthanized over the weekend)

A young cougar that was trapped and euthanized Sunday morning in Silverton is believed to be the one that killed a deer in a home’s backyard late last month and was spotted at The Oregon Garden last week, prompting its closure for a day, officials said.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said USDA Wildlife Services euthanized the cougar “because it was considered a public safety risk after killing a deer in a residential backyard and numerous sightings within the city limits.

Wildlife managers said they also received an additional sighting report of an adult cougar in Silverton over the weekend. The urged residents to continue to call the Silverton Police Department Dispatch Center at (503) 982-2340 or Oregon State Police at (503) 731-3030 if they see a cougar in town.

ODFW said Friday it had received reports of several recent cougar sightings in the Silverton area.

Early Wednesday evening, a Silverton resident, Tamara Swanson, took a photo of what appeared to be a sub-adult cougar at The Oregon Garden, the agency said.

ODFW and USDA Wildlife Services responded Thursday and located the cougar in the area near where the photo was taken but were unsuccessful in their attempts to capture it. The cougar was last seen near a service entrance gate and might have left the fenced portion of The Oregon Garden.

On Friday, USDA Wildlife Services returned to The Oregon Garden and also attempted to locate the cougar but was not successful. The Oregon Garden was closed Thursday while attempts were made to capture the cougar but has since reopened, officials said.

After contacting the Silverton Police Department later Wednesday, ODFW received another photo taken by another Silverton resident late Thursday morning, showing a cougar in their backyard. This cougar appears to be older than the one seen at The Oregon Garden.

In late February, another Silverton resident saw a cougar attack and kill a deer in their yard and later collected trail camera photos of the cougar returning to the deer carcass. Efforts to capture this cougar were not successful, but it is unknown if this is one of the same cougars now being seen in Silverton.

Cougar sightings have been increasing in the Silverton area over the last 10 years, ODFW said, though not all sightings have been confirmed as cougars. This is in keeping with an increasing trend of sightings throughout northwest Oregon.

While Oregon’s cougar population has grown from a low of around 200 in the 1960s to an estimated 6,000-plus today, ODFW said encounters between people and cougars are rare and there has never been a confirmed attack by a wild cougar on a person in Oregon.

“Silverton residents need not be alarmed, but it’s a good idea to take some common sense precautions after all the recent cougar sightings in the area,” said Don VandeBergh, ODFW district wildlife biologist. “Feeding your pets indoors and keeping them in at night are some simple things you can do to avoid a conflict.” For more tips on living with cougars, visit http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/living_with/cougars.asp

Those who see a cougar in town are asked call the Silverton Police Department Dispatch Center at (503) 982–2340 or Oregon State Police at (503) 731–3030. (Both agencies will notify ODFW.)