Possible cougar sighting at Minto-Brown Island Park prompts Salem safety warning (Oct. 24)
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The City of Salem is reporting a possible cougar sighting this week at Minto-Brown Island Park, KATU reported Friday; the sighting has not been confirmed.
Another cougar sighting was reported Oct. 18 in West Salem, near Harritt Drive NW, according to KATU.
City officials urge people to be cautious but not alarmed, keep dogs on a leash and be most alert at dawn and dusk, when cougars are most active.
Sightings can be reported to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 541-757-4186; call 911 in an emergency.
The City of Salem is warning visitors to Minto-Brown Island Park to stay alert after a possible cougar sighting there this week, KATU reported Friday.
The sighting is unconfirmed, and city officials are urging people to be cautious but not alarmed, according to the station. It follows another reported sighting on Oct. 18 in West Salem, near Harritt Drive NW, KATU reported.
Not the park's first cougar
Minto-Brown has a history with the big cats. In December 2024, city staff confirmed a male cougar was using the park's conservation area along the Willamette River, according to a City of Salem news release at the time. "He is actively using the game trails," Matthew Johnston, Salem's parks field supervisor, said in that release.
The Statesman Journal reported then that the confirmed sighting came on Dec. 1, 2024, at 6:52 p.m., and that the city described the reserve as natural cougar habitat where deer and other game are present. The park is closed to the public after dark, and most of the sightings at that time happened after dark, according to the city.
In September 2025, the city shared another round of cougar safety tips after more unconfirmed sightings at the park, 1430 KYKN reported. Those reports suggested multiple cougars had been seen around dusk and dawn. The city noted that while cougars usually live alone, a mother and her young can travel together for up to two years, by which point the young can be as big as their mother.
Minto-Brown is one of Salem's most popular outdoor spots. The Statesman Journal has described it as a roughly 1,200-acre park with 29 miles of trail and a 30-acre off-leash dog park.
What to do if you see a cougar
City officials say cougars are usually elusive and wary of people, so sightings are rare, according to KATU. When using trails, stay alert, make noise and keep dogs on a leash. If you do see a cougar, the city advises:
Stay calm and stand your ground.
Maintain eye contact.
Pick up small children without bending down or turning your back.
Back away slowly and do not run.
Speak firmly and raise your voice.
If the cougar acts aggressively, raise your arms to look bigger and clap.
Cougars will usually retreat if they can, officials said. If attacked, fight back with rocks, sticks, bear or pepper spray or anything else at hand, according to KATU.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also recommends hiking in groups and carrying bear spray or an air horn. The agency warns against running from a cougar, saying the animal could mistake a fleeing person for prey and give chase.
Is it really a cougar?
ODFW says coyotes, bobcats, large house cats and dogs are often mistaken for cougars. Adult cougars weigh about 80 pounds for females to 140 pounds for males, have an even tan color and a long tail that is nearly three feet long, according to the agency. Their tracks usually show no claw marks, because cougars have retractable claws, while dog tracks do.
Oregon is home to more than 6,000 cougars, according to ODFW, up from an estimated 200 in the 1960s, before they were reclassified as game mammals and protected under state wildlife law. As the population grows, the agency says, young cougars can be pushed toward urban edges while they look for a home range of their own.
Cougar attacks are rare, ODFW says, but they have happened, including a fatal attack on a hiker on Mount Hood in 2018. The agency says to call a local ODFW office or 911 if you see a cougar in your yard or in town, especially during the day.
How to report a sighting
Cougar sightings can be reported to ODFW's district office at 541-757-4186, according to the city. Call 911 if there is an immediate threat to safety.
KATU's report described the Minto-Brown sighting as unconfirmed and did not mention any park closures. Willamette News did not find a new statement from ODFW about the latest Salem reports as of Saturday morning.
Sources
KATU: Salem officials warn public after possible cougar sighting at Minto-Brown Island Park, by Grace Peterson (Oct. 23, 2026)
City of Salem: City Staff Confirm Cougar Presence in Minto-Brown Island Park (Dec. 6, 2024)
Statesman Journal: City confirms cougar sighting at Salem's Minto-Brown Island Park, by Whitney Woodworth (Dec. 6, 2024)
1430 KYKN: City of Salem Cougar Safety Tips (Sept. 1, 2025)
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife: Living with cougars
Cover photo: Minto-Brown Island, by the Oregon Department of Transportation, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0
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