Dead Cougar May Be Largest

ASTORIA, Ore. - A cougar killed in a highway accident may be one of the largest ever found in the region, according to local authorities. The 160-pound mountain lion was killed by a pickup truck on U.S. Highway 26 last week.

"You'll never see a bigger one - at least not in our lifetimes," said Senior Trooper Ed Now of the Oregon State Police.

Now said the world record was a cougar weighing more than 200 pounds at the turn of the century.

The male cat, measuring at least 8 feet from nose to tail tip, was killed when it ran in front of the truck, possibly while chasing a deer.

Cougars are scarce in this area, said Jim Cadwell, a wildlife biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. He estimated only 30 to 40 cougars roam between Tillamook and Astoria. It's difficult to get an accurate count because the animals are elusive and leery of people.