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Michael Dunne: I'm Michael Dunne. There are annoying neighbors, really annoying neighbors, and then there are neighbors with razor-sharp claws and teeth who can outrun a car on city streets. I'm talking about one of Oregon's most fearsome apex predators, the mountain lion. Recently, one became a transitory neighbor of people in Springfield. Late last month, one of these big cats was spotted in a tree close to houses and businesses. While the outcome was harmless for both the cougar and the neighbors, it does beg the question: How can we live with these dangerous but elusive predators now that they number more than 6,000 in Oregon? Today on the show, we'll get a crash course in living with cougars and other dangerous animals from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, for when they venture into our neighborhoods and when we venture into theirs. Beth Quillian is the public information officer for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Beth, it's great to talk to you again. Thanks so much for coming on the show.
Beth Quillian: You're welcome. Thanks for having me back, Michael.
Dunne: Fairly recently, a cougar was spotted in a neighborhood in Springfield, and I want to start with this: Why might a cougar venture into a more populous urban setting?
Quillian: That's a great question, and there are a couple of different reasons. As you know, Oregon is cougar country. We've got about 6,000 cougars of all different age classes throughout the state. Their populations are doing well and are essentially at carrying capacity. So we've got a lot of cougars, and especially around Springfield, there's great cougar habitat. These areas where they've been seen are adjacent to forested lands, agricultural lands and green spaces that cougars use as travel corridors, places where it just makes sense for them to be. So it's not surprising. Sometimes we do get cougars and bears moving through more urban spaces, and people are sometimes surprised by that. But it's not uncommon for them to pass through. Typically, they'll be there for a little bit and then move on their way. This is also a time of year when we've got younger individuals that are dispersing, so they're looking to establish their own territory, and sometimes they travel through interesting places on that journey.
Dunne: We often hear that animals like cougars have a natural fear of humans, and I'm wondering, similar to the question I just asked: Is there some kind of calculus that goes on in the mind of a predator, saying, ‘OK, this is risky for me because there are cars and people and other things I'm naturally afraid of, but the prey might be more plentiful in an environment like Springfield’?
Quillian: It could be part of it. Any kind of animal is going to be looking for an easy meal, so for a cougar, sometimes when they're in these more urban spaces, they might just be passing through, scoping things out, and they end up in an unusual place for a little while. But sometimes, as you mentioned, there is prey for them there that's pretty easy to get, if people are, say, feeding birds. Imagine you're feeding birds: That birdseed falling on the ground attracts rodents, which attracts things a cougar might prey on. So whether it's that or feeding feral animals or leaving pet food outside, all these things can be attractive to a cougar, a bear, coyotes and so on. It's important to think about what's around your own home that could attract a cougar and take steps to keep everyone safe by securing those items.
Dunne: For many of us who live in this area, we see a lot of deer, and it often seems like the deer are used to us. I'll use myself as an example. I'm a runner, and I live around the South Hills. Many times I run, and deer are 15 or 20 feet away from me, and they don't move. My question is, since deer are a cougar's chief prey, can that habituation to humans and cars also mean a cougar venturing into a place like Springfield or Eugene might see that deer as an easier meal, because it doesn't have the same flight response it might have evolved 50 or 100 miles from an urban center?
Quillian: It's very possible. I'm not an expert in all the nuances of cougar behavior, but I'd imagine that a deer that's habituated to some extent, and used to pets being around, might have its guard down a little if a cougar shows up. So it's possible they could be an easier meal for a cougar.
Dunne: We've also heard that we've had a very mild winter, and I imagine now that we're getting into fall, has there perhaps been, because of a lack of snowpack and rain, less foraging material for deer and other prey animals? Is that possibly impacting the food chain and requiring cougars to vary their territory?
Quillian: If we think back to May and June, prey was pretty abundant then. You had deer with fawns that were less mobile, so their main prey was a bit easier to come by earlier in the summer. Now things are changing; those opportunities are getting fewer and farther between because the fawns can run now. It's a bit more of a challenge. With drought and fire, there's generally less food for prey animals, too. So there may not be as much prey as there would otherwise be, and as we move into winter, success rates for cougars tend to increase because adult deer struggle more, as you can imagine. There's snow, food is harder to come by, so a predator like a cougar might have an easier time catching a deer in winter than in late summer. So there are some seasonal changes there, and that's part of it. And again, it doesn't happen often, but it's not unusual for a cougar to wander through town, whether it's dispersing or just checking out a new area.
Dunne: Let's get into this a bit. When a situation like this occurs, when someone sees a cougar in an urban environment like Springfield, and they call ODFW, what are the action steps that ODFW and perhaps other organizations take?
Quillian: Good question. When we get reports of cougars, we assess them. We want to know what's going on: Is this a report of a cougar seen on someone's doorbell camera at 3 a.m., just walking through their yard or neighborhood, or is this a daytime sighting where the cougar is behaving in a concerning way? We assess those reports and make a determination on whether any action is needed. But no matter what, we try to inform people through social media, through Nextdoor. Sometimes we have staff go out and educate the public or the neighborhood to make them aware: Hey, there's been a cougar seen in your neighborhood. Please keep these safety tips in mind. Here are things you can do to secure items on your property so there's not an easy opportunity to attract a cougar. We also work with local law enforcement to assess the risk and determine if any action from us or another agency is necessary to deal with a situation where there's a cougar in town.
Dunne: I'd imagine part of that assessment is the potential risk to the public. If a dangerous situation is assessed to be brewing, what might the next steps be?
Quillian: Public safety is our top priority, so we work with our partners, Oregon State Police and local law enforcement, to assess that threat and determine if there's a threat to human safety. If a cougar is displaying aggressive behavior, such as charging, growling, trying to break into a building or residence, attacking a pet or domestic animal, or showing a general loss of wariness, those are all defined in statute as a threat to human safety. There's a very specific definition of what that is. All of those things go into the determination of how we need to respond, and sometimes we do need to remove a cougar from the area to keep people safe.
Dunne: Let's talk about prevention, and you've already mentioned this a bit, but I think it's worth a deeper dive. What are the ways people can safely coexist with potentially dangerous animals like cougars, both where they live and when they venture out into what might be described as a cougar's home?
Quillian: Great question. Around the home, some tips are: Know your neighborhood. Be aware of any corridors or places where deer or elk concentrate. Walk pets during the day, keep them on a leash, and keep them inside at dawn and dusk, when cougars are most active. Shelter livestock and pets for the night; bring them in. Always feed pets indoors. I know a lot of people feed their pets outside, and a bowl of pet food might sit out for a long time. If you have to feed pets outside, that's fine, just bring the food back in as soon as they're done. Don't leave it out. Securing your garbage is another big one: Use animal-resistant garbage cans. If you're really concerned about cougars, you can remove heavy brush from around your house and play areas, and install motion-activated lights along walkways and driveways. And overall, don't feed wildlife, because feeding one type of wildlife may attract a cougar. If you do feed birds, keep those areas clean, and clean up the seed and spillage on the ground. It's also good practice for the health of birds to clean bird feeders properly and regularly, to keep the birds that visit them safe from disease.
Dunne: OK. I know if any squirrels are listening, they're not going to be happy with that advice. But that's OK. When we go out into wilderness areas, hiking or mountain biking, talk about some strategies we should use.
Quillian: When you're out recreating, it's important to stay alert: Make noise and be aware of your surroundings. It's also a good idea to carry bear spray; it can work for cougars and other animals, too. Keep it somewhere accessible. I see a lot of people carry bear spray but put it in their backpack, somewhere hard to get to. It's smarter to clip it onto your pack, where you can reach it in a second. So stay alert. If you do encounter a cougar while recreating, hopefully it's from a distance, and hopefully, if it sees you, it will take off. But the most important thing is to stay calm and not run away. Running can trigger a chase response in cougars, so that's probably the No. 1 thing to remember if you have an encounter with a cougar: Stay calm, back away slowly, raise your voice and speak firmly, maintain eye contact, and make yourself look big. Usually that's enough to intimidate the cougar, and it will move on. In the very unlikely and rare event that you're attacked by a cougar, fight back with everything you've got: rocks, sticks, anything. Don't play dead.
Dunne: Let's extend this conversation to a predator people may actually see. It's extremely rare to ever see a cougar. I've been a hiker for decades and have never seen one, and I've talked to many people throughout the West who've never seen one either. But seeing a bear is perhaps more common. So the same question about a large predator, an omnivore like a bear: What's your advice, and how might it differ for a black bear versus a cougar, whether in an encounter or in keeping your home safer from bears?
Quillian: A lot of the same principles apply, but with bears, I'd especially emphasize securing what we call attractants around the home. Garbage is a big one. Bears have an incredible sense of smell; they can detect something from over a mile away, and they'll pass down knowledge of where they've gotten food to their offspring. So if someone in a neighborhood is feeding bears, intentionally or not, that can create a chain reaction, teaching a whole generation of bears where to get food and that they can get food from people. So secure your garbage: Get a bear-resistant trash can for garbage and recycling. Clean your grills, too. With that keen sense of smell, even drippings on a grill are enough to attract a curious bear. Bird feeders are another big one; birdseed is high in calories, and as we talked about earlier, a lot of wildlife is looking for an easy meal, especially heading into fall, when bears are fattening up for winter. Pet food is another one, as we've discussed. When it comes to living with bears and other wildlife, a community effort is really what's required to keep people, pets and bears safe. So if you know there are bears in your neighborhood, tell your neighbors, or talk with them about what you can all do to prevent issues, keep bears wild, and keep people and pets safe.
Dunne: My last question is this: People driving or walking around their environments might very rarely come across a dangerous animal, but they might also come across a harmless one. I wanted to ask you what the public should do. For example, if someone is driving and sees a mountain lion, what should they do? Or if they see a wounded animal, an eagle or a fawn, what steps should they take if they want to help?
Quillian: Great question. If you encounter wildlife and think there might be something wrong, it's important to call ODFW or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before taking any action, especially if you're not sure whether the animal is hurt before you pick it up and take it somewhere. Call someone who can help you think through the situation and determine if the animal really needs help. A lot of times, wildlife doesn't need our help, and the best thing to do is leave it where it is. It has the best chance of survival if it stays in the wild, especially with baby animals in spring and summer. We get a lot of well-meaning people who call us or bring an animal to an office or a wildlife rehabilitator, and it turns out the animal was perfectly fine and should have stayed in the wild. We see this with fawns a lot. It helps to learn about animal behavior, and to know that fawns, especially in spring and summer, are left by their mothers, who tuck them away and hide them while foraging. If you come across a baby animal on its own, that doesn't mean it's orphaned or abandoned; that's very rare. Deer, for instance, put an incredible amount of energy into reproducing and caring for their young, and it's very unlikely they'd abandon a fawn. So take a moment and call ODFW or a wildlife rehabilitator before picking up an animal. And if you encounter wildlife, no matter what it is, hopefully it's a neat experience. Just keep your distance and enjoy the moment.
Dunne: Good enough, good enough. She is Beth Quillian, public information officer for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Beth, always great to talk with you. Thanks so much.
Quillian: Thanks, Michael. Appreciate it.
Dunne: That's the show for today. All episodes of Oregon on the Record are available as a podcast at klcc.org. Of course, it's football season, and many Oregonians are excited about the University of Oregon's chances of competing for a national championship this season. But much further down the rung of competition sits South Eugene High, ranked one of the best academic high schools in Oregon and with one of the largest student bodies in the region. The school is nevertheless struggling just to field a football team. Tomorrow on the show, we talk to a Register-Guard reporter about South's football struggles. I'm Michael Dunne, host of Oregon on the Record. Thanks for listening.
