Cougar rumors only that

UPDATE: A horse was killed. Owner George Dill, of the La Conner La Conner Polo Club, said it was his "best horse, worth thirty grand." Reached in Australia, Dill said he was told "the side of the horse's neck was eaten off." - Ken Stern, October 28.

A rumor started circulating last week on Facebook that a large male cougar had attacked and killed a horse on La Conner Whitney road. The rumor suggested the cougar also returned the following night.

In trying to track down the facts of this rumor, calls were made to various sources close to the situation, including the assumed owners of the horse. As of press time, no calls had been returned.

Sheriff Sutton was at the Pioneer Market on Monday afternoon. When asked about the “cougar” attack he responded that a horse was attacked, but he didn’t think it had been killed. He said the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife was not called until Sunday, by which time any tracks in the area had been washed away by heavy rains.

Supposedly, the scratches on the horse were consistent with a cougar attack, but staff from Fish and Wildlife could neither confirm nor deny it was a cougar. Concurrently, there was a separate report of a large animal in the field near the horses on Saturday night, but the caller said it could not be positively identify as a cougar as no long tail was seen.

As of press time, the only confirmed cougars in this area can be seen wearing red and white on game days.

UPDATE: A horse was killed. Owner George Dill, of the La Conner La Conner Polo Club, said it was his "best horse, worth thirty grand." Reached in Australia, Dill said he was told "the side of the horse's neck was eaten off."