Quote:
" and that's when they seem to get over populated and attack humans every now & then. (Cali) So you got lots of bobcat & puma up there? They're all over the place here, wouldn't think you'ld find half the animals you find here in desert but they're here."
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I've done some reading on the subject after discovering they walked the sidewalks of Hood River at night and were fairly common even in the valley itself.
cougars want nothing to do with us but young ones are still learning. If they see movement they interpret as fleeing prey it triggers a response. They may pursue and stop once they identify you.
Running with your dog can also cause problems. As in most cases of human/predator contact you have to do something dumb to get hurt.
Oregon's population is mostly centered near Portland & suburbs. These areas vary from heavily wooded Forest Park in Portland to interspersed forests & homes. The East end of Portland is situated at the head of the Gorge which is almost all wild country for 80 miles.
Portlanders use these recreation areas heavily and regularly find ways to kill themselves but I can't recall a cougar incident more serious than a cougar sightings in weird places.
Bigfoot is higher on my list of potential hazards.