The Bonney Lake Police Department is warning residents about a possible cougar spotted by officers in a residential neighborhood early Thursday morning.
The department shared a video on Facebook that shows a large cat running in the 18200 block of 97th St. E. around 3 a.m. Thursday.
The post describes the animal as a cougar, but the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said it’s hard to tell by the video whether the animal is a cougar or a bobcat.
WDFW officers searched the neighborhood Thursday morning to try and locate the large cat but didn’t have any luck tracking the animal. Officers were expected to return to the neighborhood Thursday night to attempt to locate the cat again.
Wildlife officials said the cat in the video looked young, and it would not be unusual for an animal at the age to be out looking for territory to claim.
“I was kinda surprised it was it was so close,” said Bonney Lake resident Laura Lindell. “Then I thought, well, I’m not going to leave my dog outside unattended.”
One neighbor told KING 5 he had never seen a cougar before but expected the large cats to be around since the neighborhood is close to the woods.
Anyone who spots the large cat is asked to call wildlife officials at 360-902-2936 with the location and time the animal was seen.
Cougar attacks on humans are rare but they have been recorded. In 2018, two hikers were attacked and one was killed while hiking a trail in the Cascades foothills. It was the second death by a cougar in a century for Washington state.