A cougar was spotted in the area of Kopachuck Middle School and Voyager Elementary, putting the schools on a modified lockdown, the Peninsula School District told parents in a ParentSquare alert Tuesday afternoon.
The alert shortly after 1 p.m. said that the cougar was “in the areas surrounding both campuses.” After-school sports are still proceeding as scheduled at Kopachuck Middle School, the message said. The alert promised more information to come via ParentSquare.
A “modified lockdown” means that students and staff must remain inside but can proceed with normal classes and schedules, Peninsula School District spokesperson Danielle Chastaine wrote in an email.
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The district has alerted the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Chastaine wrote.
A recent report of a cougar in the Gig Harbor area hadn’t yet appeared on the department’s predatory wildlife incident map, which is based on citizen reports, as of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. The. map shows that the department confirmed cougar sightings on the Gig Harbor peninsula earlier this year, including in March and July.