On 06/29/2022, at about 7:42 PM, deputies for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the area of Deschutes Riverwoods for a cougar sighting. The reporting party, a resident of the area, reported seeing a cougar on a vacant lot found on River Bend Dr. and requested an area check. Responding deputies located the cougar near a vacant lot near a residence that was not currently occupied by residents. After a short time on scene, the cougar was observed leaving the residential area towards the National Forest lands located northwest of the sighting. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with the Oregon State Police about this cougar sighting, who will be relaying this information to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind citizens of our community, per the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, that to prevent an encounter with a cougar one should stay alert, hike in groups, keep dogs on leashes, don’t feed the wildlife, and store food in containers. If a person should encounter a cougar that does not retreat, one should not run, but rather make noises, pick up children, raise their arms, and prepare to fight back. If you are involved in a face-to-face encounter with a cougar or any dangerous animal, call the nearest ODFW office, Oregon State Police, or the land manger if on public land.
Below is a link to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife regarding Living in Cougar Country. This site will provide information and guidelines on how to live safely with wildlife such as cougars:
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/living_with/cougars.asp
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with five K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.
Source: https://sheriff.deschutes.org/news/latest-news/
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