EVEN
EVEN TODAY WE SAW TRAILS AND ROADS BEGINNING TO GET SHUT
DOWN.
DOWN.
DOWN. THE
DOWN. THE SIGN SAYS IT ALL.
THIS PART OF EAST SALMON RIVER
ROAD IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER
NOTICED.
NOTICED.
NOTICED. CAMPGROUNDS SHUT DOWN AS WELL.
THE FATAL COUGAR ATTACK
HAPPENED NEARBY.
HAPPENED NEARBY. JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
HUNCHBACK MOUNTAIN.
HUNCHBACK MOUNTAIN. >> I WANT TO SHOW YOU THIS MAP
OR TWO REASON, FIRST SO YOU CAN
SEE HOW BIG A COUGARS TERRITORY
IS AND SECOND HOW DIFFICULT IT
COULD BE TO TRACK THIS COUGAR
DOWN.
DOWN.
DOWN. IT
DOWN. IT REPRESENTS ABOUT SIX MILES
ON THIS MAP. WE UNDERSTAND THIS
IS THE TRAIL WHERE THE ATTACK
HAPPENED, ABOUT THREE MILES IN.
IF YOU START DIGGING ABOUT SIX
MILES IN ANY DIRECTION, IT
BECOMES THIS HUGE ARC. EITHER
WAY, COUGARS TRAVEL MUCH
FURTHER THAN THAT, NOT JUST SIX
MILES BUT 50-150 MILES.
MARK OFTEN HIKES THESE TRAILS.
>> THAT'S A HUGE AREA AND THERE
ARE A LOT OF TRAILS AND THIS IS
THE TIME WHERE PEOPLE GO HIKING
IN THE FALL.
IT COULD CONCERN ALL OF THE
HIKERS.
HIKERS.
HIKERS. >> Reporter: THE RANGERS, TOO.
EARLIER WE SAW THE RANGERS IN
THIS TRUCK TALKING WITH HIKERS.
THEY DIDN'T WANT TO TALK ON
CAMERA, BUT THEY SAID THE
RANGERS TOLD THEM THE TRAIL
WOULD SOON CLOSE BECAUSE OF THE
COUGAR DANGER.
COUGAR DANGER. YOU CAN SEE WHY, THE FOREST IS
THICK.
THICK.
THICK. IT
THICK. IT WOULD BE EASY FOR COUGAR TO
HIDE HERE WAITING FOR THE RIGHT
MOMENT.
MOMENT.
MOMENT. NOT EVERYONE LEFT.
ELLEN HEWITT AND ABUTTED -- A
BUDDY DECIDED TO HIKE THE TRAIL
.
.
. >>
. >> IT'S
. >> IT'S SCARY, I DON'T NORMALLY
THINK ABOUT IT, WE HIKE ALL THE
TIME OF YEAR.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT TERRIFYING TO
THINK THAT IT COULD TAKE A
PERSON DOWN.
PERSON DOWN. >> Reporter: MEANWHILE, THE
EFFORT TO HUNT THE COUGAR DOWN
GATHERED STEAM.
GATHERED STEAM. LEADERS SAY THEY WILL HUNT DOWN
AND KILL ANY COUGARS A FINE.
>> WE ARE HOPING TO GET SOME
DNA CONFIRMATION FROM THE
FORENSICS LAB AND FROM THE
SAMPLES THAT WERE SENT DOWN
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. WE
THERE. WE WILL MATCH THAT WITH ANY
COUGAR WE LOCATE.
OUR INTENTION WOULD BE TO KILL
HIM AND TAKE SAMPLES.
>> Reporter: WHY KILL THE
ANIMALS FIRST?
ANIMALS FIRST? >> WE REALLY DON'T HAVE A WAY
THAT WE CAN CAPTURE AND HOLD
THEM AND WAIT FOR TEST RESULTS
TO COME BACK, ESPECIALLY IN
THAT TERRAIN.
THAT TERRAIN. SO, IT WILL HAVE TO BE A LETHAL
REMOVAL OF THE COUGAR BEFORE WE
ARE ABLE TO GET THOSE SAMPLES.
>> Reporter: SOME QUICK STATS
FOR YOU THE EXPERTS SAY THAT
OREGON HAS ABOUT 6600 COUGARS.
IN 1994, VOTERS IN OREGON
BANNED HUNTING ANIMALS WITH
DOGS.
DOGS.
DOGS. >>>
DOGS. >>> WE WANT TO BRING IN DEREK
BROMAN WHO IS A CARNIVORE
BIOLOGIST WITH THE OREGON
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
YOU GUYS ARE GOING AFTER THAT
COUGAR, YOU WANT TO CATCH AND
KILL IT.
KILL IT.
KILL IT. ARE YOU WORRY -- WORRIED THAT
THE COUGAR WILL KILL AGAIN?
>> URGENCY IS ACTUALLY TO TRY
TO GET SOME CONCLUSION TO THE
CURRENT SITUATION.
CURRENT SITUATION. BUT YES, IF THAT ANIMAL HAS
KILLED A HUMAN ONES, WHICH IS
EXTREMELY WHERE -- RARE, WE
DON'T ONE -- WANT TO RUN THE
RISK OF THAT HAPPENING AGAIN.
IT'S GOOD FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE
AWARENESS OF THEIR SITUATION,
BUT WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO BE
FEARFUL OR NOT GO OUT INTO THE
WOODS.
WOODS.
WOODS. WE
WOODS. WE DON'T SEE ANY RELATIONSHIP,
NO CONNECTION BETWEEN THOSE
INSTANCES, DIFFERENT AREAS, SO
THERE IS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN
THE EVENTS.
THE EVENTS. >> DEREK AS A BIOLOGIST, HAVE
THINGS CHANGED FOR THE COUGARS?
>> WELL, THERE ARE STILL A LOT
OF ANSWERS THAT NEED TO BE
ADDRESSED FOR THIS PARTICULAR
SITUATION.
SITUATION. AND THERE HAVE BEEN COUGARS IN
THIS PART OF THE STATE FOR MANY
DECADES AND WE HAVE DATA ON
ANIMALS AND ALL OF THIS AREA OF
THE STATE.
THE STATE. BUT WE DO HAVE AREAS WHERE
POPULATIONS ARE EXCEEDING THEIR
CARRYING CAPACITY SO THE AMOUNT
OF ANIMALS THE AREA CAN SUPPORT
AND WE ARE STARTING TO SEE
COUGARS SHOW UP IN NEW HABITATS.
AGAIN, THAT DOESN'T APPLY HERE
BECAUSE THIS IS IN A WILDERNESS
AREA AND ANIMALS HAVE BEEN
THERE FOR DECADES.
>> WE ARE IN THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST, WE ARE OUTDOORS AND
WE ARE HIKERS, WHAT SHOULD
HIKERS DO?
HIKERS DO? WHAT SHOULD ANY OF US DO IT WE
SPOTTED COUGAR AND WIN ARE THEY
OUT?
OUT?
OUT? >>
OUT? >> IF YOU SEE A COUGAR AND YOU
DON'T FEEL THREATENED, YOU CAN
TAKE THE TIME TO ENJOY THE
OBSERVATION.
OBSERVATION. COUGAR OBSERVATIONS ARE
EXCEPTIONALLY RARE.
EXCEPTIONALLY RARE. BUT IF YOU DO SEE AN ANIMAL AND
YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, BE BIG,
MAKE LOTS OF NOISE AND TRY TO
SCARE OFF THE ANIMAL.
DO NOT RUN AWAY.
YOU DON'T WANT TO ENACT ITS
SINCE TO TACKLE AND CHASE
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. KEEP PETS AND CHILDREN CLOSE TO
YOU AND, IF YOU CAN, CARRY
THINGS LIKE BEAR SPRAY OR
SOMETIMES HAVING HIKING STICKS
HELP.
HELP.
HELP. BUT
HELP. BUT FIGHT BACK AT THE ANIMAL
DOES APPROACH YOU. COUGARS ARE
ACTIVE AT DUSK AND DAWN.
BUT THEY CAN BE ACTIVE AT ANY
TIME OF DAY, BUT THOSE ARE THE
PEAK PERIODS WIN THEY ARE OUT.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE THAT'S WIN
THERE NATURAL PREY ARE OUT.
>> IT'S INTERESTING TO LEARN
MORE AND WE WISH YOU LUCK
TOMORROW IN GETTING SOME OF
THESE QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
THERE BROMAN, A