PORT ANGELES, Wash. -- A cougar attacked a dog at Olympic National Park's Sol Duc campground early Saturday morning, and park officials issued a warning to campers with children.
The dog's owner, from Aberdeen, told park officials he awoke around 2 a.m. and heard his dog yelping. He left his tent to investigate and pulled on the dog's leash, believing it had become tangled in the chain. But then he realized that something was pulling the dog in the opposite direction.
After a few moments, the pulling stopped and the owner saw a large animal running away.
The 65-pound, 16-year-old dog survived, but suffered cuts on its head.
"At this time, the Sol Duc campground remains open, but we strongly urge all visitors to use extreme caution," said Chief Ranger Curt Sauer.
There were two cougar sightings earlier in the week in the same area. Park rangers are telling visitors to watch their children closely, and to leave pets at home or keep them inside tents or vehicles at night. They also advise people not to jog, bike or in-line skate in the Sol Duc area, as such activities could trigger a cougar's "attack response."
Rangers are looking for tracks near the campground and will monitor the area for signs of the big cat. If they spot it, rangers plan to try to scare the cougar away from populated areas by yelling, throwing rocks or firing loud explosive shells. Officials said the rangers will also mark the animal if possible for identification purposes.
Olympic National Park is also the home of "Devil Bear," named for its tendency to invade campsites in search of human food. Park officials have ordered rangers to shoot the 300-pound bear on sight, fearing its aggressive food raids could lead to human casualties. But Devil Bear hasn't been spotted since Aug. 5.
