Students kept indoors after cougar spotted near Pierce County schools Tuesday
Update:
Bridget Mire, a spokesperson for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, wrote in an email that the department “received a report of a cougar chasing a deer in the Gig Harbor area today and provided the school with information on living with cougars.”
“Public safety is our priority, and we appreciate both the timely report and the school taking the appropriate measures to protect students and staff,” she wrote. “We advise area residents to remain vigilant, but this is not an active public safety concern.”
It’s not uncommon for cougars to live around populated areas, but they’re rarely seen, according to Mire. They “can be found anywhere a main prey item (typically deer) exists,” she wrote.
Tips to avoid cougar confrontations, Mire wrote, include avoiding feeding deer or other wildlife, ensuring garbage can lids are tightly secured, securing domestic animals and using a guard animal or electric fencing.
More safety information, including what to do if you encounter a cougar, is available on the Department of Fish and Wildlife website.
“If a cougar is threatening your or others’ safety, call Fish and Wildlife Police at 877-933-9847 or submit an online report: https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/enforcement/report,” Mire wrote. “If it’s an emergency, call 911. If needed, ask the dispatcher to connect you with Fish and Wildlife Police.”
Initial post:
A cougar was spotted in the area of Kopachuck Middle School and Voyager Elementary, putting the schools on a modified lockdown, the Peninsula School District told parents in a ParentSquare alert Tuesday afternoon.
The alert shortly after 1 p.m. said that the cougar was “in the areas surrounding both campuses.” After-school sports are still proceeding as scheduled at Kopachuck Middle School, the message said. The alert promised more information to come via ParentSquare.
A “modified lockdown” means that students and staff must remain inside but can proceed with normal classes and schedules, Peninsula School District spokesperson Danielle Chastaine wrote in an email.
The district has alerted the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Chastaine wrote.
A recent report of a cougar in the Gig Harbor area hadn’t yet appeared on the department’s predatory wildlife incident map, which is based on citizen reports, as of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. The. map shows that the department confirmed cougar sightings on the Gig Harbor peninsula earlier this year, including in March and July.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 2:45 PM.
