Along with the usual ice cream, lake swims, and hot dogs, Oregonians’ bingo cards this summer also include interactions with carnivorous wildlife, following a slate of atypical sightings and attacks. 

Cougars were previously rare in Oregon beach communities. On August 5, a Neskowin resident’s security camera spotted three cougars in a driveway. Experts say it was likely a feline family, since cougars are typically solitary, but mother cougars travel with cubs for 13–18 months. This comes on the heels of a handful of tourist-season coastal sightings, including the first-known cougar sighting on Haystack Rock three weeks ago (the big cat was stranded by high tide, and officials cleared the beach for the cougar to safely depart), followed by reports last week of a cougar in downtown Cannon Beach. Additional July cougar sightings at Nehalem Bay State Park closed the loop trail to hikers for several days, and visitors are still advised to be cautious and aware.

Beth Quillian, communications coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife northern zone, previously told Portland Monthly that the cougars were likely expanding into new territories beyond southwest Oregon, where more cougars reside. One appeared in Wood Village, in Multnomah County, on Monday.

In Portland proper, a week of black bear sightings in Forest Park rattled residents in late May. Now, in the Alphabet District, raccoons have bitten people and dogs in multiple incidents caught on camera near the intersection of NW 22nd Avenue and NW Johnson Street. In one video, a raccoon charges down a block to attack a passing dog walker. Neighbors were surprised to learn that it’s illegal to relocate raccoons in Oregon, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and have turned to private trapping companies.

Meanwhile, four wolves in northeast Oregon’s Union County, near La Grande, were “lethally removed” after repeatedly preying on livestock. The ODFW has also called for removal of two wolves in Baker County after five livestock deaths since January. Oregon’s wolf population was estimated at 175 wolves in 2022.

ODFW offers guidance on interactions with raccoons, cougars, and wolves.