The island’s visiting cougar killed two alpacas at Vashon’s north end last week, and state wildlife officials say they expect to bring a trap to the island and deploy it should another attack occur.

The alpacas belonged to Peter and Sue Beeson, who previously owned three of the animals and considered them pets. One of the alpacas was killed last month, and at the time Sue Beeson suspected coyotes. This time, after the killing late Dec. 18 or early on Dec. 19, she declined to comment because of the difficult nature of the losses. However, an officer from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) who responded to the situation saw the cougar walking outside the fence line, creating a high degree of certainty that it was the animal responsible, according to Kim Chandler, a WDFW spokesman.

The officer removed the carcasses from the pasture, but kept them in the area and placed a trail camera nearby. The first night, it captured only images of eyes, and officials were not able to determine the type of animal that visited. However, WDFW officials returned later in the week and found that the cougar had returned Wednesday about 5:30 p.m. and lingered in the area for about five minutes. It did not eat from the alpaca carcasses, Chandler said, but approached them.

Now, because cougar involvement has been confirmed, the plan is to either euthanize or relocate the large cat, which has been roaming the island since summer. To do so, Chandler said, officials must first trap it, which is complicated by the fact that all the department’s traps are in use, except for one that needs repairs. Chandler said it is possible that wildlife officers will bring the trap over once it is fixed, as early as this week, and have it ready on the island.

“The plan is to get it up and running, get it on the island, and if and when this does happen again, we can deploy the trap,” he said.

Setting it up near the Beesons’ home may not be effective, he said, as the cougar roams widely.

“A trap could be set up for a month, and the cougar might never come back,” he added.

Wildlife officials make the decision to euthanize or relocate a cougar on a case-by-case basis, Chandler said, and base the decision largely on what kind of animal was killed and animal husbandry practices involved. Cougars are more likely to be relocated if the animal they killed was out at night and behind inadequate fencing, while they are more likely to be euthanized if the animals they killed were kept in at night and behind what he termed “great fencing” during the day.

Many islanders have expressed that they would like to see the cougar relocated, but WDFW’s Brian Kertson, who spoke on the island about the cougar earlier this year, said relocations are often unsuccessful. He noted at the time that because male cougars have large territories and do not share them with other males, reintroduction could lead to the death of the introduced male. Habitat is disappearing, creating a shortage of wild areas for cougars to live in, and in many instances, cougars have returned to the location they were removed from, even traveling long distances to do so.

Chandler noted that given that Vashon is an island, he doubts the animal would swim back.

“I think the possibility of it being beaten up or killed by another adult male in an already established territory would be more likely,” he said.

This most recent alpaca depredation occurred near Dolphin Point, a fairly populated north-end neighborhood, but Chandler said residents should not be concerned.

“I would not worry about it if it was my neighborhood,” he said, though he noted dog walkers should be sure to leash their dogs.

He added that unlike coyotes and bears, which become habituated to people, cougars do not. He stressed that they do not like humans and that the animal behaved appropriately around the wildlife official.

“When this cat saw my officer, he could not get out of there fast enough,” Chandler said. “He did not want to stick around. He … was not hanging around to protect the kill or be confrontational.”

Chandler also stressed the message that pet and livestock owners have been hearing for months now: that their actions and practices are critical, with the cougar present and the rising coyote population. Barns and electric fencing may have been unnecessary before, but they are essential for animal safety now.

“You have to be a responsible pet owner, whether it’s a cat, dog, sheep or goat,” he said. “We are not going to remove an animal because people are not being responsible pet owners. They have to help out.”

At the Vashon Nature Center, which has been tracking coyote and cougar incidents, director Bianca Perla offered a similar message directly to The Beachcomber and posted it online. She noted staff were saddened to learn about the alpaca deaths, but she stressed the importance of adapting animal care practices.

“From the time we first learned of the cougar on our shores, we have been hoping for a happy ending, but also cognizant of the challenges that our community, not used to wild predators, would face. We’d like our island community to see this recent news as another opportunity to become smarter animal owners, and we’d like your help in spreading the word,” she wrote.

She added that the cougar has been here for six months, the black bear for three months, and coyotes have been here in substantial numbers for more than 10 years. Some changes required to protect island animals are inconvenient at least, while others are expensive and time consuming, she added.

“Though they minimize risk substantially, there are no guarantees. But regardless, these changes have got to happen,” she added. “It is our responsibility as a community to educate ourselves about our wild neighbors, to help each other, and to maintain a non-judging atmosphere when experiences like this happen so that we can all feel comfortable sharing and learning from them. We are all learning together.”

WDFW’s Chandler noted in many communities, animal predation and presence of a cougar would not cause the stir it has on Vashon, and he knows passions about how to deal with the large cat are running high. His agency has heard from at least one person who is pleased the number of deer on his property seems to be dwindling, while he has fielded many angry phone calls from people who want the cougar removed.

“There are two sides to this, and not everybody is going to be happy with whatever the outcome is,” he said.