Cougar caught in Seattle released into the wild [View All]

[depakid]

Source: Seattle PI


A male cougar is housed in a temporary cage after it was captured in Seattle's Discovery Park on Sunday. It had lived in Seattle for more than two weeks and forced the city's largest park to close. The cougar was returned to the wild, state wildlife officials said.
--------------


A Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife staffer uses a dog to chase a male cougar, right, after its release in the Cascade foothills near Skykomish. The cougar was captured in a closed Discovery Park on Sunday. The cougar apparently lived in Seattle for more than two weeks and forced the city's largest park to close. He was immobilized with a tranquilizer after hunting dogs treed it, Fish and Wildlife Capt. Bill Hebner said.
--------------

A cougar that apparently had lived in Seattle for more than two weeks and forced the city's largest park to close was captured early Sunday and returned to the wild, state wildlife officials said. The cougar was immobilized with a tranquilizer in Discovery Park about 2:30 a.m. after hunting dogs treed it, Department of Fish and Wildlife Capt. Bill Hebner said. An enforcement officer and the dogs tracked the animal after authorities were told it had been spotted Saturday night, the latest sighting in or near the 534-acre preserve, he said.

The cougar is a 2 1/2-year-old male, weighs 140 pounds and is in very good health, Capt. Bill Hebner said. After examining the animal, wildlife agents drove it to be released in the Cascade foothills near Skykomish, about 45 miles northeast of Seattle. "It's a very good prospect for relocation," Hebner said. "It wasn't aggressive or stalking people, and it maintained its natural respect for the wild." The park reopened late Sunday morning, city parks spokeswoman Joelle Ligon said.

The animal likely preyed on house cats during its time in the park, Hebner said. Earlier, he noted the heavily forested park was a perfect urban retreat for the cougar because there's no competition for the territorial animal. There's also plenty of food in the form of rabbits and other small animals, along with neighborhood pets.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/409888_cougar06.html