Courtesy/ODFW

Don't Edit

On Tuesday, officials announced that a hiker, 55-year-old Diana Bober, was likely the victim of

. The state is home to thousands of the big cats, but attacks are rare and fatalities in the region are virtually unheard of.

But earlier this year, another cougar

, killing one and seriously injuring the other. In July, a homeowner in the Columbia River Gorge

after he happened upon the animals trying to get into his chicken coop.

So what gives? Are predatory cats running rampant in the Pacific Northwest? Are mountain lions getting more aggressive or are people moving onto their turf? What precautions can people take if they're worried about venturing into cougar country?

We'll do our best to answer all your questions below.

Don't Edit

How many cougars are there in Oregon?

Don't Edit

The best estimate from state officials puts the number around 6,600, with most of the cats concentrated in the northeast corner and the southwestern Cascades.

Don't Edit

Do they travel or hunt in packs?

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

No. Other than females who are raising kittens, which usually takes about two years, cougars are solitary and territorial animals. Once a young cougar has reached maturity, it must disperse from where it was raised to find its own territory. They move as little distance as they can until they find a place that best suits their needs, and over time more areas become home to cougars. A youth may be booted from the best habitat -- the Cascades, for example -- and end up elsewhere, such as the fringe between a rural and urban area.

Don't Edit

What is their preferred prey?

Don't Edit

As the largest cats in the state, cougars have their pick of prey. They generally prefer to hunt deer, but have been known to kill elk, raccoons, bighorn sheep, other mammals and birds.

Don't Edit

Is it legal to kill a cougar in Oregon?

Don't Edit

Yes, but there are some restrictions. Cougars can be legally hunted in Oregon throughout the year, but there are zones in the state with quotas for how many animals can be taken in each area. Hunters must obtain the proper tags before killing a cougar and must present the hide and head to the state for inspection after the animal is killed.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Courtesy/ODFW

Don't Edit

Cougars in all parts of the state can be killed at any time if they present a threat to human safety or livestock.

As of Friday, 340 cougars had been killed in Oregon in 2018, with a little more than a third killed by hunters. The total quota for the state, including both hunted cougars and those killed for safety reasons, is 970 for 2018.

Don't Edit

The number of cougars killed in each zone as of Aug. 7, 2018. Courtesy/ODFW

Don't Edit

Have interactions between cougars and humans been increasing?

Don't Edit

It depends on where you live, but mostly yes.

Cougars were once common in Oregon, but the population was pushed to the brink of extirpation in the 1960s when the cats numbered only a couple hundred. Since then, their population has rebounded and the animals are once again abundant in the state.

The human population in Oregon grew by nearly 10 percent between 2006 and 2015 to more than 4 million, according to state data.

"Statewide cougar populations also have increased during that period and are frequently encountered in areas of human habitation," the state said in its most recent cougar management plan. "Increased human development, combined with increasing cougar populations, has led to a continual increase in conflict in rural, suburban, and urban settings."

Agency officials said that anecdotally the number of cougar sightings in the metro area and north Oregon coast is rising -- especially the number of confirmed sightings. Sightings are still rare, though, according to ODFW.

"While actual cougar sightings have increased, coyotes, bobcats and dogs are often mistaken for cougars," the ODFW says on their cougar website.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

"Complaints are essentially concerned reports from the public regarding some sort of cougar interaction," Derek Broman, the agency's carnivore coordinator, said in an email. "Reports with no discernible concern are recorded as a sighting."

Don't Edit

When was the last time a cougar killed someone in the Pacific Northwest?

Don't Edit

As noted above, a mountain biker was killed in Washington earlier this year and, in 2013, an animal keeper at a Sherwood-area large cat sanctuary was fatally mauled while cleaning an enclosure.

Before that, the last time a cougar fatally attacked a person was in 1924, when a mountain lion pounced on a teenage boy in Washington,

Don't Edit

How do I identify a cougar track?

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Tracks left by cougars can be very similar to dog tracks, but there are some key differences.

Don't Edit

Cougar track. Courtesy/ODFW

Don't Edit

Dog track. Courtesy/ODFW

Don't Edit

Cougars have retractable claws, so an imprint with nails is likely that of a dog. Cougars also have an "M" shaped heel pad, whereas dogs' heel pads are rounded.

Don't Edit

Should I avoid hiking because of cougars?

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

The chances of running into a cougar, much less being attacked by one, are still small, officials said. Officials closed the area where Bober was found and said there was no immediate threat to the public.

But there are a number of ways you can prepare yourself when venturing into the backcountry.

We've compiled

.

Don't Edit

What happened to Diana Bober?

Don't Edit

Bober was reported missing by out-of-state relatives on Friday after not hearing from her since August 29, Gresham police said. Her family described her as an avid hiker who frequented the Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge area.

Bober's car was found Saturday at the Zigzag Ranger Station, about 17 miles east of Sandy. She was discovered by search and rescue crews two days later two miles from the ranger station in the Mount Hood National Forest in Welches off the Hunchback Trail.

"She would go hiking several times a week," Bober's sister, Alison Bober, told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Tuesday. "She was very independent and always felt very safe on the trails."

Don't Edit

What will happen to the animal responsible for the attack?

Don't Edit

Officials are working to find the animal.

"Due to rugged, challenging terrain and potential time since the attack, the initial effort will focus on using hounds trained to pick up a cougar's scent to find the cougar," officials said Wednesday morning.

Once the animal is located, it will likely be killed.

Oregonian reporters Everton Bailey Jr., Lizzy Acker and Jim Ryan contributed to this report.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048