Cougar killed after stalking Ore. girls

KATU.com ^ | June 3, 2008 | Staff

[jazusamo]

NEAR WIMER, Ore. - Two girls got a scary close encounter with an aggressive cougar in southern Oregon over the weekend.

According to the family, 8-year-old Gina Granacki and 6-year-old Annie Granacki were riding their bikes to their home near Wimer on Saturday to grab a sandwich when the older girl was approached by the animal.

Gina quickly followed the instructions her parents and school teachers had taught her, putting the bike between her and the mountain lion and not running.

"...She knows you can't run from a cougar," her mother, DeAnna, told KDRV-TV in Medford. "They'll attack."

Her younger sister ran to get help, and their father, Jeff, quickly arrived.

"She never looked at me as I approached her," he told KDRV of his daughter's reaction. "She was just scared stiff."

Jeff Granacki said he stayed there for more than five minutes and the cougar never turned or looked away until his wife drove up in the car and it ran away.

He and another neighbor followed it, scared it out of hiding and killed it.

"I was mostly concerned with the fact that it didn’t seem to be frightened of humans," he wrote in an e-mail.

Authorities point out that as more people choose to live in wooded areas or visit them on weekends, the chance for running into a mountain lion increases.

Oregon State Police warn people, however, that it is not always appropriate to shoot at an animal.

"If they are acting aggressively, you know, coming toward you, you are seeing it in the middle of the daytime, it's chipping its teeth at you, growling, or taking an aggressive stance or something like that, then you'd be OK to go ahead and shoot and kill it," Kirk Meyer of Oregon State Police told the TV station. "Outside of that, just because you see a cougar on your property or something, you are not necessarily authorized to kill it."

For the Granacki's, the encounter reminded them of what living in the country can mean.

"The important thing is to be aware of your surroundings, know what kind of animals are out there, watch for rattlesnakes, listen, because things like this shouldn't happen," DeAnna Granacki said.

This dead cougar confronted these girls in a rural part
of Jackson County in southern Oregon over the weekend.

[jazusamo]

The article makes it sound like this is really out in the sticks. It is a rural area but there are many homes and many kids living in this area and have been for a lot of years.

I lived about four miles from Wimer for fifteen years and we never had a cougar problem until the law passed in 1994 that banned the use of hounds in cougar and bear hunting.

I know of pet and livestock attacks in the last twelve years in the area but this is the first human encounter I've heard of.

[jazusamo]

Cougar Ping!

[babble-on]

beautiful animals (when they’re in cages in the zoo) I’m a tree-hugger and all, but no neighborhood should have to tolerate this. If cougars are coming to your town, then there’s too many cougars around.

[prolifefirst]

When a wild cougar was in the middle of residential Chicago 6 weeks ago their was a huge outcry because the animal was killed by the police.

[sinanju]

In other words you’re not allowed to actually shoot a cougar unless it’s biting chunks out of you.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Having a cougar stare at you that way can be fightening.

[jazusamo]

Actually it’s still legal to hunt cougar in OR (not with hounds) but I’ve been away long enough to not know the regulations now. Don’t know what the season is but am pretty sure a hunting license is required.

[coop71]

Okay, that was funny.

[jazusamo]

At my age that would sure frighten me. LOL

[ClearCase_guy]

Gina quickly followed the instructions her parents and school teachers had taught her, putting the bike between her and the mountain lion and not running.

"...She knows you can't run from a cougar," her mother, DeAnna, told KDRV-TV in Medford. "They'll attack."

Her younger sister ran to get help, and their father, Jeff, quickly arrived.

Reminds me of the old joke about two guys who encounter a bear: "You can't outrun a bear!" "I don't have to -- I just have to outrun you."

[allmendream]

A’ LA SOUTH PARK. “LOOK OUT, HE’S COMING RIGHT AT US!”

Oregon State Police warn people, however, that it is not always appropriate to shoot at an animal.

“If they are acting aggressively, you know, coming toward you, you are seeing it in the middle of the daytime, it’s chipping its teeth at you, growling, or taking an aggressive stance or something like that, then you’d be OK to go ahead and shoot and kill it,” Kirk Meyer of Oregon State Police told the TV station. “Outside of that, just because you see a cougar on your property or something, you are not necessarily authorized to kill it.”

[Cold Heart]

$11.50 for an Oregon resident cougar tag. It is open season year round in that area because there are so many cougar.

“Authorities point out...” the usual mantra

[martin_fierro]

lol beat me to it.

[jazusamo]

If a cougar is on your property you can bet it’s there for a reason and not a good one.

The OSP which is also Fish & Game in the state are fully aware of that but they have to say that I guess.

I’ve never heard of a property owner being prosecuted for killing one on their property.

[jazusamo]

Years ago there were several guys with hounds in the area that hunted them or just ran them to keep their hounds in condition, that kept the courgar population down where they weren’t much of a threat to people and pets.

The no hound hunting law changed all that.

[Nonstatist]

Hmmm. Lunch.

[lowbridge]

Whats the penalty in Oregon for stalking girls above legal age?

[vpintheak]

Good thing these guys believe in real gun control. As in controlling your gun.

[stainlessbanner]

ping

[jazusamo]

I dont think it’s death. :-)