Cougar Spotted in Hendrick’s Park Area
on Fairmount Boulevard, South of Summit Avenue
At around 1 a.m. on Sunday, November 2, Eugene Police officers responding to an unrelated call for service spotted a cougar standing in the street on Fairmount Blvd., south of Summit Avenue. This in the Hendrick’s Park area. The cougar was startled and ran up into an area with trees.
This is a reminder for people in that area to be observant and keep their pets close when recreating in natural areas. Eugene has many natural areas and parks that are home to a wide variety of wildlife. These natural areas are one of the many attractive aspects of Eugene. Deer, squirrels, and birds live in these areas, but there may also be occasional, stray visits from cougars and other predators. Eugene has areas that are close to forested and rural areas where bears and cougars reside. People should always be respectful of the fact that all wildlife is in fact “wild” and should be given a wide berth.
At this time the Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have been advised.
Here is a link to ODFW pages with information/tips about “Living with Wildlife” (cougars). http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/living_with/cougars.asp
# # #