Wildlife officials target cougar sighted in Kelso, Wash.

LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) – Wildlife authorities say they plan to kill a cougar if it returns to a neighborhood in southwestern Washington state.

The Daily News reports several residents of the Butler Acres neighborhood in Kelso have reported seeing the cougar wandering near homes in recent weeks.

Jeff Wickersham, state Fish and Wildlife Region Five captain, says the chances are low that the animal could be successfully relocated.

Wickersham says the cougar was first sighted in the Butler Acres neighborhood in August. It left the area for a time, but it returned.

Several officers and a dog tracked the cougar into a wooded area Monday, but they were unable to find it.

Wickersham says authorities won’t go after the cougar if it stays away from the area.

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Information from: The Daily News, http://www.tdn.com