More cougar sightings reported at Oregon Coast

By FOX 12 Staff

Click here for updates on this story

CANNON BEACH, Oregon (KPTV) — Two cougar sightings were reported near Cannon Beach over the weekend, a few weeks after photos and videos went viral of a cougar on Haystack Rock.

Both of the new sightings happened west of the Oregon Coast Highway between 2nd Street and Sunset Boulevard, according to a social media post by the Cannon Beach Police Department.

The first sighting occurred in the morning, and the second occurred in the evening.

Coyotes and a wounded elk were also sighted in the Cannon Beach area on Monday, according to police.

Last month, officials sealed off a section of Cannon Beach to provide a safe escape route for a cougar sitting atop Haystack Rock. Photographers first noticed the cougar on July 16, and footprints from the animal led officials to assume the cougar fled early the next day.

According to scientists with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the cougar likely came down to Cannon Beach the night before to hunt birds at low tide.

Meanwhile, neighbors in Troutdale are on edge after cougar sightings on Friday morning.

At least two people called law enforcement saying they spotted the animal roaming through their neighborhood.

Also over the weekend, an 8-year-old girl survived a cougar attack with minor injuries while camping in Olympic National Park in Washington state.

If you see a cougar in Oregon, ODFW says to report it by calling 971-673-6000. ODFW also has safety tips concerning cougars and how someone may possibly be more prepared.