Cougar Collared On Camano; Will Be Tracked In Cascades

CAMANO ISLAND - Ron and LaVerne Clarke were settling into their chairs to watch the evening news, but the "news" was happening in their own backyard.

Ron looked out a large picture window, overlooking their five-acre spread where they raise sheep, and there was a huge cougar, with a lamb in its mouth, leaping across a barbed-wire fence.

"It came across the fence, picked up a baby lamb, probably seven to 10 pounds, and cleared the barbed-wire fence," LaVerne Clarke said. "It was very, very quick."

The Clarkes called Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agents, who chased the 155-pound predator with hound dogs through brushy terrain.

Several hours later, they cornered the cat in a tree and shot it with a tranquilizer gun. The animal was released yesterday in the North Cascades, and a collar was placed around its neck so wildlife officials could track its movements.

Fish and Wildlife agents said they had received reports of a cougar on the island for more than two years. But sightings had become more frequent in the past month.

A week ago, a motorist reported that he accidentally hit the cat as it tried to cross a highway. The animal apparently was not injured in the accident, state officials said.

Cougar sightings on Camano Island are rare, but the animal could have either swum a slough or walked across the bridge to the island.

The major reason cougars are seen more in Western Washington is that the mountain lion population is growing at the same time their habitat is shrinking because of development, said wildlife biologist Rocky Spencer.