One or more roaming predators killed or injured at least seven animals on the island — six sheep and an alpaca — one night last week, creating a difficult situation for the owners and serving as a stark reminder of what some experts have been saying for months: Raising livestock on Vashon is going to require a change in common practices.

As the coyote population has grown, a cougar has lingered and a black bear has continued its visit as well, many islanders have been paying increasing attention to what it means to live with predators. Some of that attention stems from interest in the animals and the benefits they can bring, but much of it comes from concern about the risk predators pose for livestock and other domestic animals.

While there is no central place to report the death or injury of livestock or pets, the Vashon Nature Center receives many of the reports, and its director, Bianca Perla, believes the agency learns about most instances. Such reports have increased over time, she said, which she attributes to an increase in the number of people who know to report the incidents to the center, as well as to an increase in the actual numbers of animals killed. In fact, Perla said, predation reports have risen from 0 percent of all the reports the center received in 2011 to 18 percent in 2016. In the last month, from Oct. 17 to Nov. 17, Perla said she received seven separate reports of animal predation. While there are questions about what animals are responsible in some instances, Perla in-dicated one element is clear.

“We need to protect our animals more is what the data is showing,” she said.

In this last month, only one of the kills has been definitively attributed to the cougar — a sheep on Maury Island. Debbie Butler, who has a small animal sanctuary with sheep, goats, a cow and a horse, found the dead animal last month when she went out early in the morning.

It was clear immediately that the death was caused by a cougar, she said, as the sheep had been dragged near to the fence, claw marks were visible on the sheep’s neck and there were visible cougar prints in the ground.

Butler saw the cougar one evening shortly afterward, while it walked her fenceline. She has since built a barn-like structure, bolstered her fencing and installed motion detector lights.

But the strong feelings from the loss remain.

“It was really awful. You offer somebody sanctuary and then to have it taken away in that manner,” she said. “This is the probably most traumatic thing I have had happen in my life.”

In other instances, coyotes have been responsible, but in some situations, the predator may never be determined, Perla said, as there have often been contradictory signs at the scene. Sometimes animals — particularly sheep — have been killed, but not eaten, which typically indicates dogs were

involved. But the animals have been killed efficiently — atypical of dogs, and typical of coyotes. This mixed picture showed itself last Thursday night, when the six animals were killed and one needed to be euthanized because of its injuries. The alpaca and three of the sheep were attacked in two locations on the north end of the island, while three sheep were killed considerably farther south. It is likely more than one predator was responsible, Perla said, and it is possible that a large dog is in the mix. Regardless of the lingering questions, she stressed prevention.

“There are a lot of things out there right now that could potentially prey on livestock, so it really is important to protect livestock,” she said.

Sue Beeson, who lost the alpaca last week, believes coyotes killed her animal. While the cougar was spotted in the area the next day, there were no apparent signs of a cougar attack, she said; the animal had not been dragged anywhere and was not covered. Moreover, some animals — likely coyotes — were nearby and making a considerable amount of noise. The disturbance woke her in the early morning and led her to find her alpaca dead in a corner of the pasture.

Like Butler, Beeson spoke to the heartache involved.

“To see an animal you treated as a pet so viciously attacked and killed, it was heart wrenching,” she said.

Cognizant of the mounting losses, Perla said the nature center has reached out to some of the island’s farmers and hopes to pull together a panel of livestock owners to share information regarding what is working and what is not. She also pointed to islander Amy Holmes for assistance. Holmes is a farmer and livestock owner, who is also a resource specialist at the King County Conservation District. In that position, she provides free services to farmers throughout the county on efficient farming, including protecting livestock from predation. She works with people on an individual basis, she said, walks their pastures, sees where the predator came in and makes suggestions regarding keeping the remaining livestock safe. Calls from Vashon regarding help with predators have increased in the last year, she added.

On the island, frequent suggestions have centered on the importance of fencing and bringing animals in at night, but Holmes said effective measures can be taken without a large outlay of money.

“There are ways of managing livestock without large investments in infrastructure,” she said.

On her home farm, she noted, she and her husband have a portable shelter that they move around the pasture, and they have electric fencing around that shelter. Location matters too.

“If we hear the coyotes, it is not unheard of for me to get out of bed and run the sheep over to the house,” she said.

Walking the fence line and inspecting it is also essential.

“We walk the fence once a week at least,” she said. “Even with the best of fences, if you do not walk the fence line and make sure it is intact, that is when you get problems.”

She noted that livestock is more vulnerable in large pastures. Creating small paddocks within that large space may be a good option, as the animals are safer when closer together and one can alert the others if a predator comes near. She encouraged islanders with questions to call her.

“I am always happy to come visit with people and walk their fence lines,” she said.

While people are making adjustments with their animals, Perla and islander Lyndsey Braun-Palmer, who was one of the organizers of the recent Department of Agriculture presentation about coyotes, encourage those with livestock or pet losses to follow the protocol recommended by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. This includes taking photos and covering the animal with a weighted tarp until it can be examined. Perla noted that for some owners, this process is too difficult and that she and Braun-Palmer will come to the scene and do it for people. When they investigate such scenes, she said, they do not rely solely on their own skills and observations, but also have a team of trackers and biologists that they share photos and descriptions with to obtain answers.

In addition to tracking predation reports, Braun-Palmer, who began the Vashon Coyote Watch Facebook page, now named Vashon Predator Watch, wants to keep following the broad island predator picture. She said she hopes people will continue to post information of all kinds there: predations, animal sightings and howls. This information will help keep others informed and alert.

“We all fall into that,” she said. “If we do not hear anything, we think then it has all gone away.”

The presence of predators on Vashon and Maury islands is a community-wide issue, Perla noted, stressing that people with livestock and pets should participate in preventative measures to protect their animals and to stop reinforcing the coyotes’ behavior, in particular.

“Coyotes have been here for 10 years. The more they realize they can be successful with livestock, the more likely they are to prey on the animals,” she said.

Given the recent local history of predation, both Braun-Palmer and Perla urge islanders with dogs that are given to roaming to keep them home to ensure they are not contributing to the problem and to take preventative measures if they have not yet personally lost an animal to a predator.

“If we do not protect them (livestock and pets), we might get lucky, or there might be consequences,” Perla said.

She also noted the broader importance of making changes.

“These wild animals are important parts of our landscape. They are putting us through the ringer here, but it is a struggle we need to step up to. As the landscape gets more populated, we will have more of these visitors,” she said. “ If we have our systems worked out, if your pets and your livestock are secure, you can enjoy these animals more.”

In the event of predation, during normal business hours, people should call the Mill Creek Office at (425)775-1311 or Wildlife Enforcement at (360) 902-2600. If it is after hours, Washington State Patrol, reached by calling 911, provides dispatch. State wildlife officials have recommended that callers tell 911 dispatchers they are expecting a call back to ensure a more timely response.

Contact The Vashon Nature Center through its website and Facebook page or via email at info@vashonnaturecenter.org.

Contact Lyndsey Braun-Palmer at Vashonpw@gmail.com and see Vashon Predator Watch on Facebook.

Contact Amy Holmes at amy.holmes@kingcd.org and see the King County Conservation District website at

Kingcd.org.