11/12/2008
Wildlife official kills cougar near town

LA GRANDE - On Sunday night, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife employee shot a young female cougar that department officials believed was killing domestic cats in a rural residential area.

District Biologist Leonard Erickson said that was a warning sign of a threat to human safety. The cougar also was prowling close to a city park.

ODFW said the cougar weighed about 56 pounds and likely was less than two years old.