Wildlife officials warn Olalla area residents to keep pets and livestock secure after cougar kills donkey

OLALLA, Wash. - Wildlife agents are urging Olalla area residents in Kitsap County to keep their pets and livestock secure while they try to trap a cougar that killed a donkey. 

Dustin Prater with the Department of Fish and Wildlife said agents got a report of a cougar sighting and an attack early Monday morning. When they responded to the sighting and attack off Bandix Road, they didn't find the cougar, but there was a dead donkey that showed evidence of being killed by a mountain lion. 

A Ring camera also captured the cougar on video. 

Prater said there's a trap set up in the area, but until the cougar is caught, residents are urged to be mindful of livestock and pets. Cougars' main food sources are deer and elk, he said. 

"Secure them in a barn, or with an electric fence, something more secure than just an open field," he said. "Cougar sightings are sporadic. It's even less common for a cougar to kill livestock or a pet. But it does happen."

You can also prevent wildlife attacks by keeping your trash cans secure and eliminating any "food attractants" as bears try to put on as much weight as they can before winter. 

"Cougars are very smart. We’re hoping the trap works. I don’t want to scare people. We just want to educate people, make sure they’re aware there’s a cougar in the area," he said.