Cougars in the Issaquah Alps
By Alex Brown, Project Coordinator for the Issaquah Alps Wildlife Cam Project
The first time I captured a video of a cougar, I could hardly believe it. About six months after I'd set up my first trail camera, a cat came prowling up my driveway in the middle of the night, walking slowly past my house before it disappeared into the darkness. I'd already captured tons of wildlife footage, with bears, bobcats, coyotes, and opossums making regular cameos. But cougars, those solitary, elusive predators, had never made an appearance. Until that night, I wondered if one ever would.
Photo courtesy of Alex Brown, Issaquah Alps Wildlife Cam Project.
Over the years, I captured a handful of other cougar sightings. When we launched the Issaquah Alps Wildlife Project last year, we hoped to learn more about the animals that roam our public lands. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who hoped we would uncover more cougar activity, to get a peak at the ghosts prowling in our forests. It took some time, but eventually the cats started coming by. One mountain lion stopped for a long drink from a seasonal stream. Another padded quietly along a steep ridgeline. One crossed a log over a swollen creek. And one, finally, walked right up to our camera in broad daylight.
Our volunteers always get excited when we capture a cougar video. We've collected thousands of shots of animals on our public lands, but the handful of cougar clips we've gotten are some of our biggest highlights. Perhaps it's the rarity, the thrill of seeing an animal that excels at remaining hidden. Or maybe it's the shiver of standing in the same place that a stealthy predator passed by not long before.
Over the past few months, we've seen an uptick in cougar footage. This is likely more happenstance than anything statistically significant, but we thought it would be a good opportunity to talk to an expert. Rich Beausoleil, statewide bear and cougar specialist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, sat down with us to check out our footage and share tips for living in cougar country. Issaquah's cougars, Rich told us, are masters at navigating our urban forests, passing through the edges of our neighborhoods mostly unseen. This isn't cause for alarm, but a sign that these wild animals can coexist in our city as long as their human neighbors are responsible.
The big takeaways? Don't feed deer or other animals that could attract cougars to your yard. When hiking, travel in groups and make noise so cougars can hear you coming. If you're hiking alone, clap your hands every few minutes. If you do encounter a cougar, carrying bear spray can help ensure you're safe.
To see more cougar footage, along with highlights of other wildlife in the Issaquah Alps, visit our YouTube channel.
Thanks to our amazing donors and a successful fundraising campaign, we're getting ready to put 10 more cameras in the field this spring. We're excited to bring you even more animal footage and keep gaining insights about wildlife in the Issaquah Alps. Stay tuned!
Learn more about the Wildlife Cam Project here.