'Carnivore Spotter' project encourages western Washington residents to share wildlife sightings



SEATTLE -- A new website allows people in western Washington to share their wildlife sightings.

'Carnivore Spotter' helps researchers learn more about how carnivores are distributed across our area.

Anyone can submit their sightings, whether it's a bear, coyote or cougar. A researcher at the Woodland Park Zoo who is managing this project says there's a lot to learn from this.

"These animals are going to be living among us, they already are here and the more we understand about how they live, it helps us coexist with them into the future," said Robert Long, senior conservation scientist with Woodland Park Zoo. "So minimize conflicts, it helps us learn how to maybe manage our garbage so that we don't attract these types of animals, because it's important that we all share this space.