On April 18, 2024 at 1:15 p.m. officers from the Ashland Police Department responded to the 700 block of Glendale Avenue for a report of an aggressive cougar. After speaking with residents, it was determined that an adult cougar had attacked at one least one domesticated animal, a cat, while the cat was under the control of its owner. Upon checking the area officers found evidence of other wild animals having been attacked and consumed as well.

The City of Ashland is a wildlife interface area, and having cougars present in many parts of the city is not unusual. However, cougars coming this deep into the community, during daylight hours, attacking domesticated animals, and not being appropriately wary of human interaction is not.

APD officers requested the assistance of the Oregon State Police Fish and Game Division, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Both agencies responded to assist, and, upon conferring, all agencies agreed that the cougar was well beyond the statutory threshold calling for lethal removal of the animal.

APD, along with OSP and ODFW searched for the animal, locating it at approximately 2:45 p.m., still in the immediate area, in a residential backyard. The cougar was lethally removed, and the carcass will be turned over to the ODFW for examination.

During this incident an elementary school in the immediate area, the Siskiyou School, was asked to keep everyone inside. The distance from where the cougar was killed to the school is approximately 250 feet.

The APD never seeks to be put in the position of lethally removing an animal, however, given the circumstances noted above, this course was action was clearly the most prudent to safeguard human and domesticated animals’ lives.