|
 |
Poaching/Violations or
Dangerous Wildlife Complaints
|
|
|
|
Some wildlife species are potentially dangerous or can cause problems, especially as Washington’s human population continues to expand into traditional habitat. The conflicts that occur with black bears, cougars, coyotes, and moose, in both residential and recreational situations, are the ones most often reported to WDFW with concerns for human safety, pets, livestock, or property damage.
Staff getting reading to dart a bear in culvert
|
With an estimated population of 25,000 statewide, black bears are the most common source of potentially dangerous conflicts. Black bear complaints to WDFW are increasing. They range from fleeting glimpses of bears to close encounters.
The top three reasons for bear conflicts are:
Most of the encounters can be reduced if humans eliminated these incentives attracting black bears. The deliberate feeding by humans to unintentional access to garbage, bird feeders, or other attractants cause most of the problems.
For more information, see Living With Wildlife Black Bears |
| |
| |
Although there is an estimated population of 2,000 cougars statewide, confirmed cougar problems have been decreasing. Encounters range from harmless sightings to attacks on livestock or pets.
For more information, see Living With Wildlife Cougars
Cougar Outreach and Education in Washington
A comprehensive look at cougar-human interactions, produced for WDFW by Insight Wildlife Management. This plan is based on state-of-the-art human dimensions research, comparing sentiments about cougars from the various subsets of Washington's human population. Learn More >> |
|
| |
Coyotes have become common in both rural and residential neighborhoods. However, residential coyote encounters are growing, with the first recorded attack on humans in Washington in 2006 in Bellevue (King County) where coyotes had been deliberately fed. |
Coyotes have become common in both rural and residential neighborhoods. However, residential coyote encounters are growing, with the first recorded attack on humans in Washington in 2006 in Bellevue (King County) where coyotes had been deliberately fed.
For more information, see Living With Wildlife Coyotes |
| |
This moose had fallen through a basement window in a residential home in Spokane, WA. The moose was safely immobilized, removed from the home, and released back into the wild. |
Moose are the largest land animal in North America. An adult male moose averages 6 feet tall at the shoulder and can weigh as much as 1,400 lbs.
At least 1,000 moose are estimated to live in Washington, almost all in the northeast. By their sheer size and boldly wandering nature, moose can inadvertently cause problems and are very dangerous.
For more information, see Living With Wildlife Moose |
|
