BEND — An Oregon wildlife biologist says a young male cougar blamed for killing two sheep in two days east of Bend has been trapped and killed.
Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Steven George tells KTVZ-TV that the animal had a fracture high up on its right front leg and evidence of an earlier gunshot wound as well. George says both injuries would have impaired the cat’s ability to hunt and likely prompted it to start killing easy prey like livestock.
One domestic sheep was killed Wednesday, prompting involvement by the federal Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services. The big cat was trapped overnight Thursday. George says it’s believed to have killed a second sheep before entering the trap.
