WILDLIFE -- A cougar was seen around 9 p.m. Wednesday night chasing a deer across Government Way near Mukogawa-Fort Wright Institute in Spokane.

The large, healthy looking cougar was in hot pursuit of the deer when a vehicle interrupted the chase. The cougar leaped about 20 feet in the air off the side of the road.

Be aware that the week's snowfall will concentrate deer, and deer are a cougar's primary prey.

The Spokane River area is a beautiful escape in the winter, but this sighting reminds us that solo hikes are risky especially for people of small stature that are more likely to be targeted by cougars. Stay in groups and keep the kids close by.