Cougar shot, killed by Columbia Gorge homeowner

(Update: Adding AP story)

BRIDAL VEIL, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a Columbia River Gorge landowner shot and killed a cougar that’s believed to have killed two goats and entered a nearby home, prompting a trail closure and search.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports authorities are confident the slain cougar is the same one that killed the goats, and a search for the animal has ended. The Angel’s Rest Trailhead was reopening Friday afternoon.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Rick Swart says the landowner shot the cougar Thursday night after the wild cat became caught in a trap set up by authorities.

Swart says the landowner notified law enforcement and the cougar’s body was recovered.

Biologists estimate the animal is a 2-year-old female.

The landowner won’t face any repercussions for shooting the cougar, Swart said.

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Earlier story:

A homeowner shot and killed a cougar in the Columbia River Gorge on Thursday night after sightings in recent days closed a popular hiking trail, officials said.

The animal was shot along the Historic Columbia River Highway, KGW reported Friday.

KPTV said the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is “highly confident” the cougar is the same one that entered a home in the area on Tuesday and killed two pet goats on Wednesday.

Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report on Wednesday that a cougar had killed the goats near the Angel’s Rest trailhead. They learned that a cougar had entered a home Tuesday across the road from where the goats were killed and “showed little fear” of humans.

For that reason, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said it believed the cougar posed a threat to people and livestock and needed to be trapped and removed from the area.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as saying the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife had set up a trap in hopes of capturing, then removing the cougar from the area. They used a carcass of one of the dead goats, which were owned by nuns at Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist.

A homeowner saw a cougar in the trap around 8 p.m. Thursday, went over and shot it, KPTV reported. The dead cougar, a 2-year-old female weighing about 60 pounds, has been turned over to ODFW, which will conduct a necropsy.