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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad September 7, 2005 Cougar attacks dog above Lithia Park Residents’ effort to get deer to visit can lead to unwanted visitors By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings Annie, a 70-pound Labrador retriever, is big enough that she can usually handle herself in a skirmish. However, on Thursday at 6 p.m., it seems she met up with a formidable adversary. “We were on the deck and all of a sudden she ran around the house,” Mike Jewett, her owner, said. “And in no time she came back torn to pieces.” Jewett said the family veterinarian told them based on the claw marks across the dog’s back, that likely Annie was attacked by a cougar. “Her rear leg and her left front leg were all torn up,” Jewett said, noting that it took almost 30 stitches to sew her up. “It was like a scalpel had done it.” Jewett lives on Ridge Road, almost directly above Lithia Park. He said this area has a heavy deer population. In fact, he added, some neighbors enjoy seeing the deer so much that they leave out salt licks to attract them, unaware that the deer are a magnet for less innocuous wildlife. Steve Niemela, a wildlife biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said this practice “is something we discourage.” He said, “You’ll attract deer with the salt and the deer will attract cougars.” Recently, cougars have received more than their fare share of attention as ODFW is in the process of writing a cougar management plan. Last week, some 60 people showed up to a public meeting in Medford to voice their opinions on the increasing contact between the wild cats and humans. Niemela said the recent increase in sightings is likely a combination of two factors. “Their population has increased,” he said. “Also, the Valley has grown a lot, so there is a lot more interaction between cats and people.” He said if people do come in contact with a cougar they should not run away. Rather, people should look the animal in the eye and try to appear as big as possible while slowly backing away. Niemela said there has never been a documented case of a cougar attacking a human in Oregon. ODFW is still accepting comments on the proposed cougar management plan until Oct. 31. Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 x 3040 or [email protected]. --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.