A plan was developed to tranquilize the confused catamount, who dived into the drink when the dart struck true. Luckily, deputies had already launched a boat, for precisely this reason, and rescued the cat from the waves immediately. The panic at the pier ended by about 11 a.m, Dougherty said.

A cougar that was seen prowling the docks along Newport's Embarcadero Marina on Oct. 17 has died, after it was sedated by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials.

Despite initial reports of a successful water rescue after the tranquilized big cat jumped off the dock next to the Resort, officials now say the cougar “took on too much water” and drowned. “It was ODFW’s intention to move the cougar out of town to a place where it could be safely released,

The cougar that caused consternation by wandering onto a Newport pier early Thursday has died. Despite initial reports of a successful water rescue after the tranquilized big cat jumped off the dock next to the Embarcadero Resort, officials now say the cougar “took on too much water” and perished.