Cougar sightings continue in Blaine area

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A cougar is suspected as the killer of two goats early January 24 at a home in east Blaine.

A cougar had been sighted in the Blaine area over the last three months and one was photographed three weeks ago by Don Kruse, who lives near Damon and Karen Higgins. The Higginses reported their goats dead early in the morning Sunday.

WDFW game warden Ryan Valentine said the cat seen Sunday was probably the same suspected of killing the goats because a cougar’s normal range is 100 square miles.

The Higginses found the animals dead in their paddock at 8 a.m. Sunday. Dr. Dave Sauter, a veterinarian at Kulshan Veterinary Hospital in Lynden, performed a necropsy on the goats and determined a cougar killed them.

Dave Jones, a WDFW game warden in Whatcom County, said he could not confirm Sauter’s conclusion because WDFW had not looked at the dead goats. Jones said a cougar had been in the area, based on video from a trail camera. He said the cougar appeared to be a juvenile.

That sighting would be the second confirmed of a cougar in the Blaine area this month. The other was on January 21, south of Loomis Trail Golf Course, which is southwest of the Higgins property. 

Sauter found no evidence of poisoning, as the Higgins first suspected. Both animals had broken necks and tell-tale bite marks were found on each animal’s trachea. Cougars strangle their prey, Sauter said.

“Keep your animals inside at night, if you can,” Higgins said.

This month’s cougar sightings are the first since an October sighting off Semiahmoo Parkway. Resident Bruce Miller said he spotted the cougar while he was working at KARI Radio. Miller said the animal appeared from a forested area next to the station, then hid behind a storage shed. The animal then poked its head out and fled.

“That is the fastest animal I have ever seen,” Miller said. “It was smoking.”

Six cougar sightings were confirmed in the Blaine and Birch Bay area last year, according to WDFW data. Whatcom County has seen an increase in cougar sightings thus far in 2021, with four reported.

Jones said he is not concerned about cougars being aggressive toward humans because their nature is to avoid people. 

Cougar attacks on humans have only occurred 20 times in Washington since 1924, only two of which were fatal. 

But a cougar attacked a 69-year-old man Monday afternoon in Soo Valley, B.C., north of Whistler, causing significant injuries. The man was in stable condition, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Services. 

If you come in contact with a cougar, Jones recommends enlarging oneself, being loud, throwing a rock and yelling. He also said it is important to maintain eye contact and back away slowly.

To view the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife map of confirmed sightings, visit bit.ly/2Nz9QLD.

This article has been updated from the print issue, which included incorrect location information published on the WDFW map. We regret the error.

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