An Olympia area homeowner thinks he has captured the video image of a cougar poking about in his neighborhood.
Peter Brennan, who lives in unincorporated Thurston County in the area of Henderson Boulevard Southeast and 53rd Loop Southeast, discovered the images last week.
He has a video camera on the side of his house. In the foreground, the video shows his canoe, propped up against a fence.
But about 1:45 a.m. Thursday, on the other side of a fence, a cougar, or what appears to be a cougar, enters the frame.
Brennan, who has had that camera on the side of his house for about a year, has seen all kinds of critters, including deer and cats. His residence is near a large wooded area and the Deschutes River.
The telltale image for him is when the animal turns and looks at the camera.
“I’m pretty sure that’s a cougar,” he said Sunday.
After he watched the video, he shared the images with a private Facebook group and another social media site called Next Door. After that, he sent the video to a regional office of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife in Montesano.
A spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife could not be reached Sunday.
This isn’t the first time a cougar has reportedly been seen in the Olympia area.
In response to possible sightings in late August near Watershed Park, Fish and Wildlife officials set up “an attractant” in a wooded area near the park to determine if a cougar was in the area.
The attractant was a combination of fish oil and cow’s blood, creating an odor that cougars apparently can’t resist. Officials also set up a trail camera that is triggered by motion.
Anyone who sees a cougar is asked to call Fish and Wildlife dispatch at 360-902-2936.
