Cougar Terrifying Hikers Shot

A cougar that had been terrifying residents and hikers near Leavenworth was shot and killed over the weekend, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Craig Bartlett, a spokesman for the department, said a rancher shot the cougar Saturday after he caught it in his pigpen with part of a pig in his mouth. Bartlett said the rancher was within his rights to shoot the cougar because he was protecting his family and his livestock and the cougar was on his property. Fish and Wildlife Services had been trying to track the cougar for months after mountain bikers on the Freund Trail began reporting that the cougar was confronting them and being aggressive. One biker even had to hit the cougar to get away from it. The Forest Service had closed the trail after a hound tracker was unable to locate the cougar, but they were able to reopen the trail Tuesday...KIRO-TV