I CONTACTED RP BY PHONE SHORTLY AFTER HIS COUGAR SIGHTING WAS REPORTED TO THE REGION 1 OFFICE. RP SAID THAT HE WITNESSED A COUGAR CROSS HIGHWAY 31 ON THE NORTH END OF THE TOWN OF IONE. RP SAID HE PULLED HIS VEHICLE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WATCHED THIS COUGAR. ACCORDING TO RP THIS COUGAR JUST WALKED A SHORT DISTANCE THE TURNED AROUND AND SAT DOWN LOOKING BACK AT HIS VEHICLE. RP WAS ABLE TO TAKE MULTIPLE PICTURES BEFORE LEAVING. RP SAID THE COUGAR NEVER ACTED AFRAID AND WAS STILL IN THE AREA WHEN HE LEFT. RP SAID THIS COUGAR SEEMED CONFUSED OR DISORIENTED. RP SAID THIS OCCURRED AT ABOUT 1145 HOURS. DUE TO TIME OF DAY, CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A POPULATED AREA AND THE ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR OBSERVED, I CONTACTED A LOCAL HOUNDSMAN FOR A REMOVAL OF THIS COUGAR. A LOCAL HOUNDSMAN RESPONDED A SHORT TIME LATER. HE OBSERVED A LARGE AMOUNT OF COUGAR TRACKS IN THE AREA THE SIGHTING WAS REPORTED WHICH WAS ABOUT 300 YARDS FROM A RESIDENCE ON THE NORTH EDGE OF IONE. HOUNDSMAN SAID THERE WAS SO MANY COUGAR TRACKS IT WAS LIKE THIS COUGAR WAS EXTREMELY CONFUSED. THE HOUNDS WERE ABLE TO LOCATE THIS COUGAR IN THIS AREA AND CHASED IT A SHORT DISTANCE TO THE NORTH. THE COUGAR CORNERED ITSELF IN SOME CONCRETE STRUCTURES AND FOUGHT WITH THE HOUNDS. THIS COUGAR WAS EUTHANIZED. COUGAR APPEARED TO BE ABOUT A 4 YEAR OLD FEMALE. IT WAS EXTREMELY THIN AND HAD MILKY BLUE COLORED EYES. THE OVERALL CONDITION OF THIS COUGAR WAS EXTREMELY POOR. THIS COUGAR WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE WDFW VETERINARIAN FOR NECROPSY AND DISEASE TESTING.
