Cougar euthanized after wandering into an Oregon motel

APNewsNow.

THE DALLES, Ore. – A cougar was euthanized by state wildlife officials after being found inside a motel complex in the Oregon city of The Dalles.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said Tuesday that the 2-year-old male was in a room under construction down a narrow walkway.

Wildlife officers shot the big cat with a dart to sedate it and then took it off-site and put it to sleep.

Cougar sightings are not uncommon on the outskirts of The Dalles but its presence in downtown business district in broad daylight was very unusual.

ODFW district wildlife biologist Jeremy Thompson said that shows the animal was a risk to public safety.

Over the weekend, another cougar was euthanized after it was spotted several times in and around the town of Silverton, Oregon.