Raw Cougar Meat Blamed for Trichinosis

Associated Press ^ | January 30, 2007 | Unknown

[decimon]

WHITE SALMON, Wash. - Raw cougar meat, eaten by a deer hunter who found himself being stalked, is the apparent source of Washington state's first case of trichinosis since 2001, a health official says.

The hunter was hospitalized for a time after eating the uncooked meat in October but has since recovered, Klickitat County Health Director Kevin Barry told the Yakima Herald-Republic.

"I've been told by everyone I know who has eaten cougar that it tastes pretty good," Barry said.

However, he said that like other wildlife, it should be cooked first to minimize the risk of disease from various organisms, including the trichina worm, a parasite that multiplies in the intestines. Symptoms of trichinosis typically include nausea and high fever, and it can be fatal if untreated.

Washington state has had six recorded cases of trichinosis since 1985, state Health Department spokesman Donn Moyer said.

Barry said the man apparently had the required tag for cougar hunting but was looking for deer before he fell asleep. He shot the big cat after waking up when "he found himself the huntee instead of a hunter," Barry said.

Most cougar hunters are after the hide rather than the meat, said Madonna Luers, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman.

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Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakima-herald.com

[decimon]

Always cook your cougar.

[Buck W.]

Standard or automatic?

[Tijeras_Slim]

No comment

[rellimpank]

--and coyote, wolf and bear--

[Ditter]

Wonder why he decided to eat the meat raw? The article doesn't explain.

[Vision]

"I've been told by everyone I know who has eaten cougar that it tastes pretty good," Barry said

If it tasted good, it'd be served in restaurants. He doesn't have a pleasant time coming up with his treatment.

[silverleaf]

No more cougar tartar or cougar sushi for me!

[SlowBoat407]

[alice_in_bubbaland]

LOL! Yum! s/

[LIConFem]

So let that be a lesson to you all... No raw Cougar!

We need to pass a law or something...

[wildehunt]

I would bet it was an animistic belief that the cougar's "power" would be conferred by ingesting the raw flesh.

[mkjessup]

Always cook your cougar.

Indeed.

[I still care]

anyone who eats wildlife raw is crazy. It's loaded with all kinds of parasites. There's a reason cows and sheep and such get all these concoctions from farmers.

[The Great RJ]

Bald eagle is better...tastes like chicken.

[Joe 6-pack]

I've always preferred beaver.

[Rte66]

*House cats roasting on an open fire*

Jack Frost nipping at your nose ...

[Mister Da]

After the hospital food, he will soon be on the game trail again.

Somebody please give him a box of matches.

[Bon mots]

[grjr21]

Mules also like there cougar raw

[decimon]

How come "Service" is backwards? Makes me suspect the cougar is not real.