The Oregon Garden in Silverton remains closed Friday after a rare cougar sighting on the resort grounds.

Wildlife officials continue to hunt the wild cat that was first spotted Wednesday evening, said Brittany Myers, an assistant manager at the 80-acre botanical garden.

Tamara Swanson, a visitor, told KPTV she was taking a walk around 5:30 p.m. when she heard rustling in a nearby bush. She grabbed her phone and quickly snapped a photo of the cougar.

"It was like I was transposed into a scene of National Geographic, watching this thing in front of me," Swanson told the news station. "I was pretty excited."

Swanson sent her photo to Oregon Garden staff, who then contacted the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A spokesman for the state agency told KATU they are working with federal wildlife officials to capture the critter, which is considered a public safety threat.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

skavanaugh@oregonian.com

503-294-7632 II @shanedkavanaugh