Cougar killed by Oregon wildlife officials; the test will determine if he killed the hiker

Oregon wildlife officials on Friday slaughtered a cougar female in the Mount Hood National Forest in Clackamas County while she was looking for the mountain lion that killed a hiker whose remains were found last week.

But it will take at least three days to determine whether this cougar played a role in the death of 55-year-old Diana Bober, as authorities wait for DNA test results from US Fish and Wildlife Service in Ashland. of fish and wildlife. The agency will try to compare DNA samples taken from Bober to samples taken on the cougar on Friday to determine if it's the same.

Wildlife officials, accompanied by mules and hunting dogs, began Thursday crossing the Hunchback Mountain Trail area at Welches, where Bober's body was found on Monday, hoping to find the cougar suspected of having been kill. They did not find any cougars on Thursday.

The dogs picked up the smell of a cougar and stalked the mountain lion around a tree around 3 pm. Friday. The cougar, who had no kittens, was then shot with a rifle.

The State Fish and Wildlife Department said it planned to continue searching for cougars until it could determine which animal was responsible for Bober's death.

Oregon has about 6,600 cougars, and they usually travel alone, according to wildlife authorities. The state's wildlife department receives about 400 complaints a year from cougars injuring livestock or threatening the safety of people or pets, he said. Attacks on people are rare.

It is believed to be the first deadly attack of wild cougars in Oregon.

Bober was reported missing by relatives of the state on Sept. 7, Gresham police said. Her family described her as a passionate hiker who frequented Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge region. She had not been heard since August 29th.

Bober's car was found last Saturday at Zigzag Ranger Station, about 17 miles east of Sandy. Two days later, his remains were discovered by search and rescue teams, two miles from the Mount Hood National Forest Ranger Station, Welches, on the Hunchback Trail.

– Everton Bailey Jr.