Cougar Sightings Put Beach and State Park on Lockdown

Officials have cordoned off a section of the coast near Cannon Beach in Oregon after a wild cougar was spotted at Haystack Rock on Sunday.

The wild animal was seen perched on the over 230-foot tall rock shortly before 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to several reports on social media.

Police confirmed that the cougar was still in the same spot at about 12:45 p.m., urging beachgoers to stay away from the area while they guided the animal off the rock. A section of the beach was cordoned off to allow the cougar a safe escape.

“The beach at Haystack Rock is closed due to a cougar sighting,” the Cannon Beach Police Department wrote on Sunday on Facebook. “We will update the public when it reopens, until notice please avoid the area.”

A file photo of a cougar. An adult cougar was spotted wandering along Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon, on Sunday. iStock / Getty Images

Aerial pictures of the area show the cougar wandering along Haystack Rock.

Four hours after the first official report, the police published another update on the situation saying that the animal was still at the same location and asked the public for patience.

“There is still an adult mountain Lion on Haystack Rock,” the Cannon Beach Police Department wrote.

“Personnel from Cannon Beach Police Department, Oregon State Police Game Troopers, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State Parks, Haystack Rock Awareness Program, and Cannon Beach Fire are on scene working to ensure public safety and the welfare of the animal.”

They added: “The beach between Haystack Rock and the dunes is closed to allow the cougar an area to escape to, from off the rock. We ask for your help and patience as we work through this unique situation.”

Newsweek reached out to the police department via email for comment on Monday.

Oregon is home to an estimated 6,000 cougars—also known as mountain lions—, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, though sightings are rare, as many on social media have pointed out. Cougars are normally solitary creatures, so it is not unusual that the one spotted on Haystack Rock was alone.

Officials’ decision to cordon off the beach to allow for the animal to leave safely has been praised by members of the public, who have thanked the police for protecting both people and the local wildlife.

“Thank you for protecting this beautiful animal,” wrote one user on Facebook. “Once the tide goes out it will come off the rock and head back to its den in the forest. The poor thing is probably terrified right now from all of the commotion.”

Cougar encounters can be deadly. Experts recommend staying calm and avoiding running away from a cougar should you meet one, making yourself look bigger instead and trying to scare off the animal. Most cougars want to avoid humans and should not be approached. In case of an attack, which is very rare, experts say people should remain standing and protect head and neck, and fight back with all they can.

The last deaths linked to cougar encounters in the U.S. happened in 2018. In May 2018, 32-year-old cyclist S. J. Brooks was killed by a cougar while biking in the foothills near North Bend in Washington state, where there are an estimated 2,000 cougars. The cyclist, who was biking with a friend, did everything he was supposed to do in case of a cougar encounter, authorities said, adding that the animal acted in an anomalous way.

In September of the same year, 55-year-old Diana Bober was found dead in Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest with a broken neck and multiple puncture wounds, suggesting she was attacked by a cougar.

Both cougars involved in the 2018 attacks in Washington and Oregon were found and killed by authorities.

Update 07/17/23, 8:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include more context about cougar encounters.