ON 06/12/2012 AT ABOUT 1337 HRS WHILE NEAR BREWSTER, A SGT. RECEIVED A REPORT FROM WSP OF A SHEEP KILLED LAST PM ON TONASKET AIRPORT RD, TONASKET. I CALLED THE RP AND HE STATED THAT LAST PM ABOUT 2300 HRS HIS DOGS HAD BEEN BARKING AT HIS SHEEP ENCLOSURE AND HIS SHEEP WERE IN THE NEAR CORNER STARING OUT INTO THE FIELD. THE RP USED A FLASHLIGHT AND WALKED AROUND IN THE FILED BUT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING OUT OF ORDER. THEN TODAY THE RP HAD FOUND THE REMAINS OF HIS SHEEP IN THE SAME FIELD. THE RP HAS A HISTORY OF PREDATION AT THE SITE INVOLVING COYOTE, BEAR, AND COUGAR.
A SGT. WAS ALSO AWARE THAT AN OFFICER LAST WEEK INVESTIGATED A SHEEP KILLED, BUT REPORTED LATE THAT WAS UNCONFIRMED AS TO CAUSE AS SCAVENGERS HAD FED UPON IT.
A SGT. ARRIVED ABOUT 1445 HRS AND MET THE RP. THE RP PHOTOGRAPHED MY OBSERVATIONS. (I HAD BEEN HERE ON ONE OF THE PREVIOUS INCIDENT SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WHERE A COUGAR WAS SUSPECTED BUT THOUGH WE RAN A HOUND PERMIT, NO CAT WAS EVER LOCATED.) THE RP OBSERVED THE SITE OF THE KILL WITH LOTS OF BLOOD AND INDICATIONS THE ENTRAILS HAD BEEN REMOVED BUT ONLY RUMEN AND SOME BOWEL REMAINED ALONG WITH A TORSO, EATEN TO THE BONE AND ATTACHED BY SKIN TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BACK LEGS. AT ANOTHER SITE, ABOUT 40 YARDS AWAY, WAS THE HEAD AND NECK AND THE FRONT LEGS, WITH THE HIDE PEELED BACK TO WHERE THERE WAS ESSENTIALLY NO MEAT.
VISIBLE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE NECK WAS BLOOD IN THE LOWER PORTION CONSISTENT WITH A CAT CAUSED KILL, CONFIRMED BY OPENING THE SKIN IN A SHORT NECROPSY OF WHAT THERE WAS LEFT. THERE WAS "GRAPE JELLY" BLOOD AND PUNCTURES OF A LARGER SIZE CONSISTENT WITH A COUGAR MECHANISM OF KILL. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF OTHER INJURIES TO THE HEAD TYPICAL OF A DOG OR COYOTE ATTACK. THIS PART OF THE BODY WAS CARRIED HERE AND NOT DRAGGED. A LARGER ANIMAL WOULD HAVE TO DO THIS. SEE PHOTOS.
A SGT. CHECKED THE FENCE WIRES FOR HAIR (NONE) AND THE ADJACENT GRAVEL ROAD FOR TRACKS BUT THE SURFACE WAS TOO HARD. A DEPREDATION PERMIT IS BEING RUN IN THE AREA WITH BOBBIE STIREK AS THE RESPONDER.
