Cougar seized in Seattle park after 2 weeks

       A cougar that apparently had lived in Seattle for more than two weeks and forced the city's largest park to close was captured on Sunday and returned to the wild, state officials said.
       The cougar was immobilised with a tranquiliser in Discovery Park after hunting dogs treed it, Department of Fish and Wildlife Captain Bill Hebner said.
       An enforcement officer and the dogs tracked the animal after it was spotted in or near the 216 hectare preserve.
       The cougar is a healthy two-year-old male, weighing 63.5kg, he added.
       After examining the animal, wildlife agents drove it to the foothills of the Cascade mountains,72km from Seattle.
       "It's a very good prospect for relocation," Capt Hebner said."It wasn't aggressive or stalking people."
       The animal likely preyed on house cats during its time in the park, he said.
       Capt Hebner said the heavily forested park had been a perfect place for the cougar because there's plenty of food in the form of rabbits and other small animals, along with neighbourhood pets.Agents attached a global positioning system collar on the cougar that will transmit updates on its location twice a day.