Hunt For Cougar On In Discovery Park

Agents set up a trap using fresh salmon and the liver of an elk for bait.

"If he comes here, we'll catch the cat. If he comes to this spot, almost 90 percent chance then,” said wildlife officer Bruce Richards.

The most recent sighting of the animal was Wednesday night near Fort Lawton. Officials said the park will be closed until Monday, Sept. 7 or when the cougar is captured.

Wildlife officers brought in two Karelian bear dogs Thursday, to try to track down the cougar, but they couldn't pick up its trail.

On Tuesday, local fish and wildlife officers said they were "poised, cocked and loaded -- and ready to go" if there were another cougar sighting in Seattle after Magnolia residents said they saw a cougar recently in the area.

Captain Bill Hebner of the Fish and Wildlife Department told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News that agents are equipped with "mobilization equipment," so in the event they get a good tip, they'll catch it and try and release it in the mountains.

The cougar likely has been eating house cats in the area since there are no other sources of food for the animal in Discovery Park, he said. Cougars typically eat small mammals, like rabbits, squirrels and raccoons.

There was another reported sighting Tuesday near Woodland Park Zoo. See a map of the sightings at magnoliavoice.com.

Experts said the odds of catching the cougar are less than 10-percent, but that cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare, only 15 in Washington State in the past century. Compare that to more than 450 dog attacks in King County alone over the course of a year.

Anyone who sees a cougar is asked to call the Fish and Wildlife Department at 425-418-4228 during business hours or 911.

Previous Story: September 2, 2009: Wildlife Agents Ready If Cougar Is Spotted Again

Related Story: September 3, 2009: 5-Year-Old Hurt In NE Wash. Cougar Attack