Bird flu kills Olympic Peninsula cougars in WA

||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES |||

Two wild cougars on the Olympic Peninsula have been killed by bird flu, as the disease continues to spread to more species.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization, confirmed the deaths Thursday.

One of the big cats was being tracked with a collar, while the other was found nearby around the same time. Because most animals’ locations are not tracked, it is unknown how many other cougars or other species may be infected on the peninsula. That is one reason why these deaths are so concerning, said Mark Elbroch, director of the puma program for Panthera (puma is another name for mountain lion, or cougar).

Cougars are a top carnivore and that raises the question of how widespread the disease is lower down the food chain, Elbroch said. “It certainly raises eyebrow and makes one wonder: is it indicative of a bigger pattern out of sight. It’s troubling.”

The virus, also known as Type A H5N1, has been circulating in Washington since at least 2022, when the state Department of Agriculture confirmed it in several backyard poultry flocks. Soon after, WDFW confirmed cases of the disease in wild birds. Bird flu killed more than half a tern colony near Port Townsend in 2024, and 2023 saw the first jump of the disease from seabirds to harbor seals, the first report of marine mammals dying from the disease on the West Coast.

The first human cases of the virus were reported in the state in October, and as of early November, 14 confirmed and probable cases were reported, according to department data. Those cases were caused by contact with poultry. So far, there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission of bird flu in Washington.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintain the risk of the virus to humans is low.

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