Early this morning, a 9-1-1 caller reported seeing a mountain lion and a cub near Maury Jacobs Park in Eugene.
The 6:20 a.m. mountain lion sighting has not been confirmed. Eugene police visited the area after the call, and a state fish and wildlife trooper came later. Neither were able to locate the animals and there have been no further sightings. Brian Wolfer is the District Wildlife Officer.
Wolfer: "The Maury [Jacobs] Park area is not a place where you would think that a cougar would try to make a living. It doesn't have the prey base, it doesn't have the forest habitat to hide in and so if there's a cougar in the area it would most likely be transitioning through, moving up or down the river."
Wolfer plans to get a first-hand report, but the caller has been unavailable during the workday. If someone sees a potentially dangerous animal in the city, Wolfer says, 9-1-1 is an appropriate number to call.
Last month, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife trapped and killed two cougars near Hendricks Park in Eugene.