Game department says sightings around Lynden, on San Juan Island and in Skagit County are not cause for action.
Lynden resident Michelle Williams woke up one morning in August to footage of a mountain lion — also know as cougar, puma, panther and catamount — crossing her property near Lynden High School.
While this was the first time this had happened to her, Williams wasn’t alarmed, she wrote in a message to Salish Current.
“Our animals are inside at night, so I wasn’t concerned about that,” she said. “Cougars roam and move around.”
While mountain lion sightings in Northwest Washington occur frequently, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife saw a high number of reports in August – some verified and some not — with two in Lynden, five on San Juan Island and one off Little Mountain Road in Skagit County.
According to Chase Gunnell, Fish and Wildlife public information officer, the Lynden sightings are not unusual and not cause for management action on their own. The San Juan Island sightings remain unverified, and one of them is determined to likely not be a mountain lion.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, the department received two reports of a possible mountain lion spotted the day before in the White Point Road area near Roche Harbor. That same Tuesday, another report of a mountain lion came in from south of Lime Kiln Point. Then, on Thursday, Aug. 7, a fourth sighting came in from Spyglass Hill Road. The fifth came on Aug. 10 near Timber Lane.
In the first report, a visitor of the island had gone on a run, and the mountain lion came within 10 feet of her. In the second, another woman spotted the mountain lion from a distance of 20 yards. Despite the certainty of the witnesses, without photos of the animals the department considers them unverified, Gunnell said.
Tracks or scat may work in lieu of a photo, he said, neither of which have been found for the August sightings.
“This is not meant to cast doubt on the initial reports — we sincerely appreciate reports from the public and know well that it’s not always possible to take a photo during wildlife encounters — but helps provide confirmation given the frequency of cougar sighting reports around Washington state,” he wrote in an email.
Gunnell said that after wildlife staff interviewed the reporting party from Aug. 7 sighting, the “mountain lion” was described as the size of a small dog and did not have a long tail.
A mountain lion on San Juan Island is rare, but not impossible, he said. Black bears have swum to Orcas Island many times in the past, and mountain lions have made it to Vashon and other islands in Puget Sound. They are present on Fidalgo Island, Vancouver Island and nearby mainland areas.
According to a 2022 study published in Northwestern Naturalist, mountain lions are documented on 18 islands in the Salish Sea and can swim to 3,808 of the 6,153 islands.
On Aug. 8, Fish and Wildlife confirmed a mountain lion killed a domestic goat in Skagit County near the Big Lake area. If a repeated occurrence, the department may pursue lethal removal, Gunnell said, but in this case sightings in that area are not unusual and staff opted to give the owner advice on how to keep livestock safe, such as better lighting and fencing.
The following week, two mountain lions were spotted in Lynden. The first happened on Williams’ property off Bradley Road at 2:43 a.m. The second was around 10 p.m. the same day, where a mountain lion entered the backyard of Matahna Erickson off Kamm Road. The mountain lion jumped the fence and headed west, Erickson said.
Gunnell said that mountain lions are an important part of the state’s ecosystems, maintaining the populations of deer, elk and others. The department estimates about 2,400 adult mountain lions live in the state, which is a healthy population. They may be found anywhere there are deer.
Yet human-mountain lion conflicts are not as common as some may believe. In the last century, there have been only two fatal attacks and about 20 encounters that have resulted in injury, he said.
Gunnell recommends keeping animals in enclosed spaces, lighting walkways after dark and using garbage cans with tight-fitting lids. Don’t feed wildlife.
If a mountain lion is spotted, don’t run – this could trigger a chase. Face the mountain lion and slowly back away. If the mountain lion does not leave, be assertive. Shouting, waving arms and throwing things may scare it away. Use bear spray or pepper spray if possible.
To avoid an encounter, Gunnell advises hikers to remain in groups and make noise, hike during the day, leave dead animals alone and pay attention to surroundings.
Report a mountain lion to wildlife police via 877-933-9847 or the website.
— By Sam Fletcher
Also read in Salish Current:
• “Commentary: Cute … and dangerous: suburban deer hazards are real,” May 30, 2024
• “Returning grizzly bears to the North Cascades,” Nov. 3, 2023
• “Humans urged to stay away from San Juan’s red foxes,” Aug 4, 2023
• “Returning wildlife to the wild is a one-by-one effort,” Feb. 24, 2023