UPDATED Friday, June 7: Columbia River Gorge landowner fatally shoots cougar suspected in goat killings
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A popular hiking trail in the Columbia River Gorge is closed while authorities search for a cougar.
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area announced the temporary closure of the Angel’s Rest Trail and nearby Palmer Mill Road on Thursday morning. Authorities are searching for the cougar, which has reportedly killed two goats and entered a nearby home, showing “little fear of humans,” according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
Rick Swart, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman, said a landowner in the Bridal Veil area saw a cougar feeding on or attacking at least one of his goats Wednesday night. The landowner fired a shot at it, according to Swart, and called law enforcement.
Authorities responded, Swart said, and went out with spotlights to try to find the cougar. They saw a cougar and also took a shot at it, Swart said.
The Scenic Area initially reported the cougar was wounded, but the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday afternoon that the cougar was not hit.
The Sheriff’s Office did not reference the shot fired by the landowner. It was unclear whether that shot hit the cougar.
Authorities have set up a trap and trail cameras, Swart said. They don’t plan to deploy dogs to search for the cougar, though that remains a possibility.
If the cougar is hurt, it would raise the level of risk to the public, Swart said.
“There is a legitimate public safety concern in this situation,” he told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Swart thinks the cougar will likely be killed if it’s found. It was still on the loose as of late Thursday morning, he said.
Over 6,000 of the animals live in Oregon, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife says. Sightings and encounters are rare, according to the agency, but sightings have increased.
Angel’s Rest offers a beautiful panorama of the gorge and has long been one of the gorge’s best hikes. The trail reopened in November after being closed because of the 2017 Eagle Creek fire.
The Sheriff’s Office said Thursday afternoon that the trailhead would be closed “for the next day out of an abundance of caution while the animal is located.”
-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
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