Tourists And Residents Can Now Enjoy Cannon Beach

After being closed because of a cougar sighting on a popular coastal rock, Cannon Beach in Oregon is now accessible permanently.

After spending the weekend on a tall rock perhaps in pursuit of bird food, the wild animal left, so Cannon Beach is once again available to the public.

The large cat was seen atop Haystack Rock, prompting a response from many departments and agencies, including local and state police, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the state Parks and Recreation Department. The beach was closed so that the big cat may return to its natural environment without interference from humans.

After further investigation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that it is now safe for people to return to the beach. Tracks leading away from the rock were discovered, and a game camera saw the cugar departing on Sunday night, according to federal investigators.

The cougar's unusual activity on Saturday night at Haystack Rock has led state biologists to speculate that it was hunting birds there at the low tide. According to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife scientist Paul Atwood, although the wooded regions around the coast are good habitat for cougars, it is remarkable that a cougar found its way on the beach. While deer are their preferred meal, elk, other animals, and even birds are not off limits to these predators.

Additionally, Megan Nagel, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, stated that cougars have been observed on other comparable isolated islands in the Olympic Peninsula.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protects Haystack Rock as part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to a wide variety of seabirds and marine species during the summer. In order to prevent disturbance of breeding and roosting birds, a section of the rock is off-limits to the public during the whole year.

 

Source: apnews.com