CANNON BEACH, Ore. — Two cougar sightings were reported in Cannon Beach on Monday, just weeks after another cougar sighting closed down the beach after it was temporarily stranded on Oregon's iconic Haystack Rock.
Cannon Beach police asked the public to be cautious after two separate sightings of a potential cougar in the area between 2nd and Sunset Boulevard, west of Highway 101. The sightings occurred in the morning and another in the afternoon, police said.
It's unclear if this is the same cougar spotted on Cannon Beach two weeks ago or if there are multiple ones. On July 16, a cougar climbed Haystack Rock, prompting a beach closure for hours until tracks were seen leading away from the rock.
Cougar numbers along Oregon's Coast Range have been growing in recent years as the big cats migrate from areas with denser populations in search of new habitat, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
On Saturday, an 8-year-old suffered minor injuries after being attacked by a cougar while camping at Lake Angeles in Washington's Olympic National Park.
The cougar "casually abandoned" the attack after the child's mother yelled at it, according to the National Park Service.
"Luckily, the mom responded perfectly and quickly and started yelling and screaming at this cougar. It let the kid go and walked away," said Amos Almy, acting public information officer for Olympic National Park.
The day before, on Friday, the city of Troutdale, Oregon tweeted about a possible cougar sighting in the Sandee Palisades area by the Sandy River.
A neighbor in the area told KGW she saw a cougar on Thursday afternoon, "He slowly walked across this brown grass until he got to the chain-linked fence and he followed that chain-linked fence right up to the corner. And he just slowly went on his way around the fence."
The North Willamette Watershed District, which oversees areas from Portland to the Columbia River Gorge, Salem, the coast and Cascade Range, has recorded 83 cougar sightings or complaints so far this year.
"It's important to remember that Oregon is cougar country," said Beth Quillian, a public information officer for ODFW.
What do to if you see a cougar
If you see a cougar, you should stay calm, back away slowly, raise your arms and make yourself look larger than you are, Quillian said.
"If you have children with you pick them up. But try to do that without bending down too much or turning your back on the cougar," she added.
You should never run away from a cougar, as that can trigger a chase response for the animal.
In the rare event you are attacked, fight back as best as you can with sticks, rocks and bear spray.