STEVENS COUNTY, Wash. – In an effort to ensure the safety of both human life and wildlife, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office and Kalispel Tribe biologist Bart George work on cougar conservation.
Deputy Jeff Flood and Bart George are conducting a study on humane cougar captures. By capturing cougars near populated areas and using hounds to instill fear, they hope to reduce killing cougars that threaten livestock or public safety.
They say by hazing the cats once they are released back in the wild it will reinstil a healthy fear of humans, dogs and populated areas.
“Bittersweet capture today, we removed the collar from our last study cat. Over the last few years, this crew has committed thousands of hours to collecting cougar behavioral data throughout Northeast Washington,” said George. “We wrapped up our fieldwork this week and will pass the data to partners for analysis and eventual publication.”
