Cougar Spotted at Oregon's Most Iconic Beach and Everyone's Fascinated
July is a popular time for both locals and tourists to visit Oregon's iconic Cannon Beach, but apparently, it's a great time for other species, too. Over the weekend, a cougar was spotted on the beach's landmark, Haystack Rock, and it caused quite a stir for beachgoers.
Even though they're native to the area, cougars, which are also known as mountain lions, don't usually make their way to the beach. As KGW8 reports, officials had to close off part of the beach to give the wild animal an escape route.
What a cool thing to see! This cougar must've been in search of food when they made their way to Haystack Rock. Unfortunately, rising tides kept the animal there for much longer than anticipated. Even though the beach was closed for most of the weekend, it wasn't until Monday that the mountain lion wandered back into the woods.
The first reports of the cougar sighting came in early Sunday morning, so officials were quick to shut off the closest part of the beach. Many plans were ruined that day, but keeping a safe distance between the animal and the public was well worth it.
However, no one could see the animal on the beach or the rocks by Monday morning. Security camera footage confirmed that the animal did climb down and leave the area during low tide, so Cannon Beach is completely open yet again.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends backing away calmly and slowly in the event of a cougar encounter. Running away might trigger the cat's instinct to chase, but if the animal approaches, you can slowly wave your arms to make yourself look bigger. Attacks are rare, but when they do happen it's best to fight back with any resources that may be available.
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