People have taken to social media to report what they believe to be indications of a cougar or cougars in the area west of Church Road near Thornton Road.
Most recently, a student waiting for a school bus this morning on Thornton Road called her mother and told her she was being stared down by a cougar. The mother said she drove about 1/16-mile to where her daughter was and arrived about the same time the bus did. By then the animal had left the area. The student reported to her mother it had been close enough that she could hear it growling.
Ferndale School District officials say Horizon Middle School Principal Faye Britt had been alerted over a week ago to the possibility of a cougar having been seen around school property. According to district officials, Britt investigated and was able to get close enough to determine the animal in question was a cat and described it as “a big, ginger and white cat.”
There have been other reports of sightings or noises that sounded like a cougar “screeching” (links to YouTube video) from within a wooded area.
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Ferndale Police have not have not had any Cougar sightings reported to them according to Lieutenant Bill Hatchett.
This morning, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Game Warden Dave Jones said his office had not receive any reports of cougar sightings anywhere in Whatcom County. But, he said, lots of reports were coming from the Alger area in Skagit County.
There have been cougar sightings in the Ferndale area in the past, including one instance of a cow having been killed by an animal suspected by experts to have been a cougar.
While sightings are relatively infrequent in western Whatcom County, it is not unexpected to see predatory wildlife such as cougars, bobcats, coyotes and bears in any areas within the county according WDFW officials.
WDFW officials ask anyone with a non-emergency cougar encounter or sighting to report it between 8am and 5pm to the regional WDFW office by phone to (425) 775-1311 or via email to TeamMillCreek@dfw.wa.gov. Outside of those hours, report it to 911 and let the call receiver know it is a non-emergency call (in case they need to prioritize your call with other emergency calls) and they will notify the appropriate agency.
Of course, whenever there is actually an emergency situation, call 911 immediately.