Wandering Cougar Killed in Bellevue a Healthy Two-Year-Old Male

A young male cougar hit by a car and killed Sunday on an Interstate 405 on-ramp in Bellevue was probably the same wildcat sighted several times over the previous week in Woodinville and then Medina, says a local wildlife agent.

That would mean the cat wandered through Kirkland while moving between Woodinville and Medina, unless it took a circuitous route. However, no sightings in Kirkland were reported.

“I suspect this is the same cat we had several reports about from Woodinville,” said Sgt. Kim Chandler, longtime local agent for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. “It was hanging around the area near (Interstate) 405 and (state Route) 522.”

The cat caused no problems, but was sighted several times more than a week ago in the Bothell/Woodinville area. Sightings then stopped for a few days.

The cougar met its fate Sunday night on the Coal Creek on-ramp to 405, and was undoubtedly the same cat spotted several times earlier in the weekend by residents in Medina, Chandler said.

Although unusual in a heavily suburban area, young cougars are known to wander widely and are sometimes forced into marginal habitats by older cougars. The cats are extremely territorial, and mature established males will not tolerate other males in their territories. So young toms are forced to find their own niches, which can be difficult.

"He was a 2-year-old male, and that’s typical of young males, trying to find their own spots,” Chandler said.

A State Patrol trooper pulled the unfortunate cat off the on-ramp, and another wildlife agent retrieved its body Monday. The cat was about two years old, and quite healthy. As is customary, the agent later checked the cat’s stomach contents.

“It was full of raccoons,” Chandler said. “He wasn’t hungry.”

The Department of Fish and Wildlife offers a wealth of information about cougars, a species native to Washington and still abundant in many areas of the Puget Sound region, on its web pages here.

The cougar's death came two days before a bald eagle that habituated State Route 520 bridge's light posts flew in front of a Metro Transit bus and was killed during the morning commute. (Read the story in the Seattle Times here.)

According to the Times, the eagle had roosted on the light posts for a few years and was a familiar sight to commuters.