A man spotted two cougars, one of which ran toward him, in the Felida area on Thursday morning, according to wildlife officers.
The man, who did not want to be identified, was working maintenance on a house at 12919 N.W. 25th Court just south of the Salmon Creek Greenway when he saw two cougars on a hill about 40 feet away at about 10 a.m., according to State Department of Fish and Wildlife Sgt. Jeff Wickersham.
The man went inside the house for 5 or 10 minutes and came back outside to get something out of his truck when he saw only one of the cats on the bluff, Wickersham said.
The cougar stood up, jumped across some shrubs and started coming toward the man, Wickersham said.
The man was able to get back inside the house. No injuries were reported.
Wickersham arrived in the area and did a walk-around at the property but did not locate either cougar. He said that there were many animal tracks in the area and that he believes the account is credible.
“This is definitely more than a sighting,” he said. “This is one of those calls where we’re going to do some follow-up. … We take these calls seriously because we’re concerned about safety.”
Wickersham said cameras will be placed in the area to see if the animals return. Cougar sightings aren’t uncommon in the area, Wickersham said, adding that there was one in January in the Salmon Creek area.
“People need to be aware that they may see them at some point,” he said.
If residents do spot a cougar, they are asked to stay calm, don’t run, back slowly away and let it be, he said.
He asked that area residents report sightings to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. For more information on cougars visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/cougars.html.
