07:39 PM PST on Friday, November 21, 2003

Associated Press

SEASIDE, Ore. -- Black bears and a cougar have been sighted on three separate occasions in Seaside, and police Chief Ken Almberg is warning citizens to be cautious of the animals.

All sightings were reported to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon State Police. No people were attacked or injured by the animals, Almberg said.

A cougar looks down from its perch in a tree. (File Photo)

While it is fairly uncommon to see bears and cougars within city limits, it is not cause for great alarm, as long as the animal is just passing through, said Herman Biederbeck, a wildlife biologist with the north coast district of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

If the animal appears in broad daylight, or doesn't flee when approached by humans, it's a sign that it is becoming more comfortable with humans and could be a problem, Biederbeck said

"As the tendency to push urban boundaries farther out into the wild increases, human interaction with bear and cougar increases," he said. "It is exceptionally rare for a cougar or bear to attack humans. Unless the animal was provoked, your chances of being attacked are very small."