Evidence of cougar in area lacking

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife found no evidence of a cougar at or around George Dill’s polo horse farm on Oct. 31. The only paw prints employees Chad Deyo and Clint Lucci observed during a two hour trek at the farm were “large dog tracks,” a domestic dog, said Sargent Shawnn Vincent in a phone call.

“No more reports of tracks or sitings in the area” have been called in since the teenage sons of Dill’s staff reported seeing a cougar north of the La Conner Whitney Road farm October 30. Vincent repeated “that it is unknown what killed” the horse based on information staff gathered.

In an email, he wrote “since the day the horse was killed we have received no other reports of a possible cougar in the area and/or any other animal deaths. At this time, we are monitoring the area and if anything else turns up we will investigate it.”

Dill likewise had nothing new to share. That “everyone knows to pay attention,” is a positive outcome, he thought. He agreed that “you need to have a picture” to prove something.

Asked about coyotes taking down his horse, he called her “kind of bitchy” and thought she could hold her own in a fight. “It’s so weird to lose your best horse,” he said. “There were lots of choices if you want to eat something. There’s younger ones and slower ones.”