Cougar sighting reported in Mae Valley

MOSES LAKE — Police with the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife have followed up on reported cougar sightings in Mae Valley, but so far have not confirmed there are any of the giant cats in the area.

“Most of what we’ve heard are second-hand reports,” said Capt. Mike Jewell, a spokesperson for the department’s police in Ephrata.

Jewell said the department has heard reports of cougar sightings in the residential area around Jonathan Road Northeast and Malaga Drive Northeast, but has only tracked down one person who actually claims to have seen a cougar.

“We’ve gone out and followed up, and we did not find any evidence,” Jewell said. “We’re not discounting the reports, but we generally try to confirm them.”

Evidence includes photos, video, animal tracks and scat, he said.

Jewell said reports of cougar sightings generally increase after publicized sightings or encounters with the animals. Two weeks ago, a cougar wandered into Ephrata and eventually was trapped in a man’s home, where it was tranquilized and later tagged and released.

While the animals are generally solitary and live in remote areas, Jewell said they also live just about everywhere in Washington, including Grant County. An individual cougar can range as far as 150 miles, so it is “not completely out of the ordinary” for them to wander through populated areas, he added.

Mostly, Fish & Wildlife leaves the animals alone, unless they come into conflict with people, livestock or domestic animals, Jewell said.

“We don’t take action unless they are a threat to human safety,” he said.