A woman who went missing two weeks ago in Oregon was likely killed by a cougar, in what officials have described as an "unprecedented event". The body of Diana Bober, 55, was recovered earlier this week by a search and rescue team off a trail in the Mount Hood National Forest, about 40 miles southeast of Portland. Police said her body had injuries consistent with a cougar attack, and a medical examiner ruled out the possibility that she was mauled after she died of another cause. It marks the first fatal attack by a wild cougar in Oregon and the second in the Pacific Northwest this year. Authorities warned a local school district of the attack and advised other hikers to stay out of the area. Bober, a keen hiker. was last heard from by family and friends on 29 August. She was reported missing on Friday. Sergeant Brian Jensen of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said it was still unclear when she started her hike. Her body was several miles from where searchers found her car last week near a ranger station. It is the second cougar-related death in the Pacific Northwest in 2018 (Getty Images) Mr Jensen said DNA samples collected at the scene were being flown by the Oregon state police to a US Fish and Wildlife Service laboratory for further analysis. Wildlife officials are attempting to find and kill the animal, he added. "This is an unprecedented event in Oregon," said Brian Wolfer, watershed manager for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. "We don't know what risk it poses to the public." ✕ Cyclist killed by cougar after smacking it with his bike to scare it off There are about 6,600 cougars – also commonly called mountain lions or pumas – throughout Oregon and sightings are relatively common, particularly in more rural areas. State wildlife officials get about 400 complaints about the animals each year, according to authorities. Cougars can be killed by landowners or law enforcement officials when they pose a threat to human safety or cause damage to livestock or agricultural crops. They can also be hunted. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. 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Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire.<doc-sep>“There’s a slim possibility that something else is responsible, but at this point, every indication is that a cougar is responsible,” Brian Wolfer, a watershed manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, told reporters. “We’re seeking confirmation of that from the U.S. First and Wildlife Service lab when they analyze the samples that we’ve sent them.”<doc-sep>"We don't believe the threat to the public posed by cougars is any greater today than it was yesterday, however, we don't know and can't quantify the threat that this particular animal may cause," Mr Wolfer said.<doc-sep>
(CNN) — A cougar is likely to have killed a woman whose body was found in an Oregon park on Monday in the state’s first-ever confirmed fatal attack by a wild cougar, authorities said Tuesday. Diana Bober, 55, of Gresham, Oregon, was last heard from on August 29 and was reported missing by out-of-state relatives on Friday, Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said. Sheriff’s deputies found Bober’s car at the Zigzag Ranger Station in Oregon’s Mount Hood National Forest over the weekend, CNN affiliate KPTV reported. Her body was found Monday, about two miles from the station, Roberts said. A medical examiner said Tuesday that Bober had injuries consistent with an animal attack, CNN affiliate KATU reported. “Her injuries are indicative of what experts believe to be that of a cougar. We’re waiting for final confirmation on the type of animal responsible for this attack,” Roberts said. DNA evidence has been sent to a lab in Ashland for examination, he said. Bober moved to Oregon in 2015, said family members who described her to KATU as an avid hiker with “a bright smile, beautiful red hair, and a loving heart.” Officials are still searching for the cougar There are an estimated 6,600 cougars in Oregon but they are rarely encountered by humans, said Brian Wolfer with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Oregon has never had – until this incident – a confirmed attack of a person by a cougar either fatal or nonfatal and so this is very rare. There have been incidences in other states around us and so we know that there is a risk,” Wolfer told reporters. He said it appeared the attack on Bober had taken place “at least a few days ago.” Wildlife officials are still trying to locate the cougar. The Forest Service has closed the Hunchback Trail, near where Bober’s body was found, and is urging people to stay away, Roberts said. Schools in the area have also been notified of the attack, Roberts said. READ: Cougar kills mountain biker, injures another in Washington state “Because this is an unprecedented event in Oregon, we don’t believe that the threat to the public that’s posed by cougars is any greater today than it was yesterday,” Wolfer said. “However, we don’t know and can’t quantify the threat this particular animal may pose to the public and so we’re making every effort – along with our partner agencies – to locate this animal so that we can ensure the safety of the public.” Wolfer recommended that people prepare for what to do in the event they encounter a cougar. “Be aware that cougars are more active at dawn and dusk. We recommend that people try to hike in pairs or with a group. If you have a dog keep your dog close and on a leash so that it doesn’t attract a cougar back to you, and if you have children, keep your children close,” Wolfer said. “If you do see a cougar, look big – raise your arms above your head – yell, do anything to make sure that animal knows that you see it,” Wolfer said. “Maintain eye contact and back away slowly and don’t turn your back and run.”