An article in the Seattle Times and Wenatchee World about a rare cougar photo is stirring local comments in the Wenatchee area.
Brad Thomas of Wenatchee captured this photo with a remote camera of a group of up to eight cougars East of Wenatchee. The photo is unique in that rarely do cougars congregate in such numbers; eight in one photo is unheard of! This now famous photo is stirring comments from the locals in and around the central Washington town of Wenatchee.
As expected the comments run the length of pro and con issues regarding large carnivores such as the cougar; here is a sampling of some of the printed comments.
Mike Biram: “We run cattle and if they don’t have enough deer to eat, they’re going to start eating our calves.”
Judy Collins: “We have cats and dogs, and nothing’s ever gone missing.”
Anonymous: “I am a hunter but I say leave them alone they aren’t hurting anyone.”
Anonymous: “It is encouraging to note in the article that cougars in these numbers are our near neighbors, and have not disturbed us a bit.”
Burt Duncan: “The deer population is going down significantly because of those cats.”
Jacob Frazier: “The cat population is getting out of control.”
Greg Diede: “I just don’t think it’s good to chase something down and kill it.”
Pat Scott: “I’ll share the area with them (cougars), I’m not after them and they’re not after me. We think it is a privilege to see them, we’re looking at God’s creatures.”
Read the full story in the Seattle Times.