Idaho Fish and Game says people are certainly more aware of cougars being in the area, but they do say that across the West, cougar populations are healthy. They're growing, and as a result, are spreading out and looking for more space.
"It is a serious concern for public safety when you have a mountain lion in town," Jim Hayden a biologist with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said.
Rumors of a cougar in town came to fruition for some yesterday, when this big cat was spotted in the heart of Coeur d'Alene.
Someone had called it in after seeing the cougar in this tree not far from Kootenai Health.
Fish and Game, with some help, was able to drug the cat and capture it before eventually euthanizing it.
"It's not something we take lightly. But it's something we felt that in this case necessarily was called for,” Hayden said.
Public safety was a big factor, they worried the cat would return if relocated.
It's cougars like these that have been the talk of Kootenai County this year. Sightings have been reported at Tubbs Hill, Post Falls, Hayden and Spirit Lake.
"We've had an uptick in interactions this year, for sure," Hayden said.
This year there have been so many cougars, it seems. Fish and Game experts say that cougar populations have been growing across the west, and the critters have healthy numbers in North Idaho.
These cats are territorial, meaning they'll spread out to find a spot that's their own. This cougar spotted Monday, a young male, likely found Coeur d'Alene as a suitable home.
Fish and Game points out that as cougar populations grow, so too do our cities and towns, making for more chances of a sighting.
The Department wants to remind residents that if they ever come face to face with a cougar, don't run away and try to make yourself as big as possible to scare off the cat.