Ok, lets try to put this in a logical perspective...

Driftboater, as one who keeps abreast of these issues, obviously you must know that cougar and bear hunting has not been outlawed, only certain methods used to hunt them (which some would argue aren't very "sporting") so your "fear of man" theory is out the window. If you think about it, wouldn't it be "fear of hounds" since it's the dogs that do all of the work.

If you check WDFW statistics, you'll find that the number of bears and cougars taken during legal hunting seasons has actually increased since I-655 was passed! Imagine that...

Do a little research into the number of humans attacked by cougars here in the last 30 years or so. (I believe Oregon hasn't recorded a single one) MANY more children are killed by domestic dogs. Dogs have obviously lost their fear of man right? Hey, let's go kill a few.

Obviously bears and cougars can be dangerous animals, that's not what's being debated here. The fact that you think this is all directly related to the passing of the I-655 initiative is.

2 years ago, shark attacks in Florida appeared to be dramatically increasing. Hell, you couldn't turn on the news without hearing another story of someone being attacked. When the year was over, and all of the data was compiled, incidences of shark attack were actually statistically LOWER than average.

Media sensationalism played a HUGE role in making it appear as though the sharks were out to get us, but the facts just don't support this. I believe the same thing happens with these cougar attack stories. They happen so infrequently that, when it does occur, it makes quite a story.