Oregon’s Cannon Beach reopens after cougar sighting on iconic coastal rock led to closure

CANNON BEACH, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s popular Cannon Beach has reopened after closing because of a cougar sighting on Haystack Rock. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday that multiple local and state agencies and a federal agency volunteer responded to the report of the cougar on Sunday morning. Federal officials said the beach was closed to protect people and allow the cougar to leave the rock and return to its usual habitat. A game camera captured an image of the animal leaving the rock Sunday night, and tracks were also found heading away. State biologists believe the cougar ventured to the rock at low tide Saturday night to hunt birds, a behavior they have not previously witnessed at the site.