Search For Cougar That Killed Woman Ends Day One Without Cougar

GRESHAM, OR – They set out at 6:30 Thursday morning, two people from the USDA's Wildlife Services riding mules; with then, four dogs trained to pick up the scent of a cougar. They were looking for the cougar that killed 55-year-old Diana Bober of Gresham last week.

The search party started at the Hunchback Mountain Trailhead.

By the end of the day, they had searched for miles but had not found the cougar. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

“It’s very important that we started our search at the site where Diana was found,” said the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife watershed manager who is leading the search effort, Brian Wolfer.

“The cougar wasn’t there. Tomorrow we will expand our search into a new area.”

In addition to ODFW, three other agencies are helping with the effort – the US Forest Service, Oregon State Police's Fish and Wildlife unit, and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

Wolfer said that adult male cougars have a range of about 123 square miles and adult females have a range of about 22.5 miles. It's known if Bober was killed by a male or female cougar.

The Forest Service, meanwhile, is closing parts of the Mt. Hood National Forest while the search continues.

“This is big country,” said Wolfer. “The search may take some time and will be a fluid situation. We’ll continue to adjust our operation as necessary.”

Officials are also working to place more trail cameras in remote areas and are urging residents of ZigZag, Welches, and Rhododendron who have trail cameras to check for cougar images. If they do, they should call the ODFW at 971-673-6000.

Bober, who had last been seen on Aug. 29, was found on Monday after she'd been missing for almost a week. Her family had described her an avid hiker who frequented the area. Her car was found on Saturday.

Before the search started, Wolfer had said that since the area "is very steep country and the trail is right on top" of a ridge with cliffs and steep drop-offs, the search will be slow."

Officials said that the heavy rains are another obstacle since rainfall affects the detection of scent and the area has seen heavy rain.

Once the cougar is found , it will be killed. It's DNA will then be tested to make sure it's the same animal that killed Bober. Officials said that because of the ruggedness of the terrain, it will be impossible to capture the cougar.

The blood sample will be analyzed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service''s National Forensics Library in Ashland.

The incident is believed to have been the first fatal attack of a person by a cougar in Oregon's history.

File photo of cougar via ODFW, photo of Hunchback Trail via Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, photos of Bober via Gresham Police.