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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2000)
ALL DAY TUESDAY PIZZ* 2673 Willamette • 484-0996 Hikers beware: cougars are lurking ■Cougar populations have grown since a ban on hunt ing, but the chance of an at tack on a human is low By Inge Scheve for the Emerald The presence of resident cougars in Lane County has in creased sharply over the last few years, resulting in conflicts be tween cougars and humans whose livestock and pets are at tacked. Although only one Oregon in cident, a 1972 Lane County at tack, has resulted in bodily dam age, it is only a matter of time until a fatality will take place in Oregon said Bill Castillo with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Fatalities have been reported from other western states. In Cali fornia and Washington, cougars have killed joggers and hikers along community running trails on the outskirts of town. In Arizona, a cougar attacked a 4-year-old girl in April. The girl was camping with her family when she was attacked. She was then treated at a Phoenix hospital. 0e?899 open ^ 7:00 am-11:00 pm Always clean! Maytag Top Loaders Large Front Loaders located behind Hirons and Safeway 165 E.l7th “It’s just a matter of time before we have the same thing here,” Castillo said. After handling an average of six complaints annually in the 1980s, ODFW now investigates over 100 claims per year. Since 1994, ODFW has ob served cougars become estab lished residents on the Willamette Valley floor. In the last six years, ODFW has investigated 42 dead cougars in a 15-mile ra dius of the Eugene-Springfield city limits, Castillo said. Twenty five years ago there were no re ported resident cougars on the Valley floor. The boost in the cougar popu lation is partly due to Measure 18, which since 1994 has outlawed the use of dogs to track down cougars in Oregon. “People need to understand that by banning the use of dogs, the result is that cougars are going to be in populated areas,” Castil lo said. “People are going to have more encounters with cougars, and the risk of being attacked in creases.” The majority of the complaints are from people who own live stock or live on the outskirts of forests, he said. But with more cougars in the area, Castillo also expects more encounters between cougars and hikers, runners and other recreational forest users. Environmental factors also de termine the cougars’ behavior. Their prey of choice is deer and elk. Because of extended drought in western states, the deer popu lation is at a 20-year low, which forces cougars to prey in populat ed areas, said Kevin Bergersen of the Arizona Department of Game and Fish. Cougars are predators that at tack to kill. They stalk and am bush their prey, and then with ex treme quickness aim for the prey’s throat or neck. Often, they break the neck or the back of their prey and then feed on the dead animal for a day or two. Unlike bears, which are scav engers and can feed on dead car casses for days, cougars will not eat an aged corpse of an animal they encounter. The fact that cougars eat only fresh meat makes them hard to trap and track down, Castillo Get 2 Sets of Prints From your 135-24-exp. color film 12 Exposure - $4.99 • 36 Exposure - $8.99 °ffernot9oodwit,,onehourfiimse any other offers. Coupon expires 7/20/2000 0 Campus * 890 East 13th St. • 342-3456 Cougar attacks on humans are rare, but experts warn hikers and outdoor recre ationists to use caution when entering into cougar habitats, even in town. said, especially because it is ille gal to use dogs to hunt them. ODFW traps bears by placing a rotten piece of meat in a trap, which smells enough to attract the animal. “A fresh piece of meat doesn’t smell much,” Castillo said. “And the cougar’s nose is not well de veloped.” Furthermore, cougars are mo bile animals that don’t remain in one area for long. If they did, their prey - which also includes an oc casional rabbit or porcupine - would become wary and shy. While a cougar attack is seri ous, hikers need to realize that al though the cougar population and the number of encounters with them are increasing, the real haz ards have to be weighed against each other, Castillo said. Statistically, the chance of be ing killed in a car accident head ing out to a hiking trail in Oregon or the odds of having a severe re action to a bee sting are much greater than the probability of be ing attacked by a cougar while traveling in the back country, Castillo said. “An attack would be extremely rare,” said Ron Mecklenburg, who has worked with the Lowell Ranger Station for more than 15 years, during which time he has seen four cougars. In case of a cougar • Carry a walking stick that would double asa “weapon” to shake the cougar. • Think about what you would do ahead of time. •Talk to the cougar and maintain eye contact, which is intimidating to cougars. • Back off slowly, and make you r silhouette look bigger by opening up your jacket or shirt and spread ing it out. •Ifyouhikewithachild, pick the child up. Not only does it make you two seem bigger, but it also helps calm the child and may keep the child from screamingand run ning off. There is evidence that panicking encourages a cougar to pursue the prey and attack. Mecklenburg added that cougars are extremely timid and shy, and would most likely be more afraid of the hiker than the hiker of the cougar. They would rather try to take off, he said. And with their cat pride attitude, they will swing their tail in a curl and show you that you’re not worth their time or energy. The Associated Press contributed to this article. 008848 We bring the storage unit to you. k** You pack it, we pick it up and store it. »3r We’ll deliver it when you’re ready. Perfect for the summer! 485-2115 RO. Box 3159. Eugene OR 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Mon day through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. A member of the Associated Press, the Emerald operates inde pendently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. NEWSROOM — (541)346-5511 Editor in chief: Jack Clifford Associate Editors: Jonathan Allen, Jeff Smith Copy Chief: Molly Egan Photo Editor: Azle Malinao-Alvarez Reporters: Kristy Hessman, Rebecca Newell On-line Editor: Timur Insepov ADVERTISING — (S4l) S46-S712 Becky Merchant, director. Erin O’Connell advertising assistant. Doug Hentges, Jesse Long, Hillary Shultz, Chad Verly, Lisa Wood, advertising sales representa tives. CLASSIFIEDS — (S4D S46-4S4S Trina Shanaman, manager. BUSINESS — (541) S46-SS12 Judy Riedl, genera/ manager. Kathy Carbone, busi ness supervisor. Ashley Kweder, receptionist. Qutaibah Hamadah.John Long, Sue Ryan, Meghan Seeley, distribution. PRODUCTION — (541) 346-4381 Michele Ross, manager. Tara Sloan,coordinator.
