Last week, for the second time in a month, a presentation about island predators drew a standing-room-only crowd.

Brian Kertson, a carnivore specialist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), spoke for two and half hours on Thursday evening about cougars and bears — their behavior, habits and ecology — to an overflowing room at the Penny Farcy building.

Several people in the audience spoke up about having lost animals recently to predators. Despite those losses, Kertson said the agency was not ready to step in and try to kill or locate the cougar. In part, he said, the cougar does not appear to be acting abnormally, and in many instances it is not clear what killed the livestock. On the island, he added, the picture is complicated, with a bear reported here, as well as coyotes, the cougar and domestic dogs, which also sometimes attack and kill livestock.

Now, guidelines from WDFW say people should report sightings of the cougar and quickly report any livestock killings.

Following the meeting, Kim Chandler, a spokesman for the agency, said that during normal business hours, people should call either the Mill Creek Office at (425) 775-1311 or Wildlife Enforcement at (360) 902-2600.

After hours, people should call the Washington State Patrol. They can do so by calling 911 and saying they need the partrol. Chandler said callers should indicate they are expecting a call back, so the proper person is called with the report, not simply emailed.

Also, Chandler said, given that the coyote population often claims kill sites, it would be helpful for those who have lost livestock to try to cover the animals with a weighted down tarp to keep them from being disturbed. People should not move the animals themselves, but leave the scene as intact as possible for investigators.

Both Chandler and Kertson cautioned that the agency is limited in what it can do. It has limited staff, and with Vashon’s location and the fact it is hunting season and a busy time of year, its resources are stretched thin.

Like the WDFW, the Vashon Nature Center, which sponsored the forum, would like to be notified of cougar sightings and livestock kills. Reach them at info@vashonnaturecenter.org.