Through a video circulating on social networks, residents of Los Lleuques, in Pinto, reported the presence of pumas prowling along the N-55 route and in the vicinity of businesses.
As this town is located in a foothills area, which is the natural habitat of these felines and other wild carnivores, it is feasible to see these species at night.
The audiovisual record of the animal was made after 1:00 am on Wednesday, August 16 by a security camera from the supermarket “La Pileta”, located at Calle Javier Jarpa Sotomayor 2010, which recorded its arrival in the sector.
“For us it was not a dog, the route had been done from above. As far as I know, it is the first time that (a puma) has been observed in this sector, on some occasions I have heard, but towards Atacalco. It doesn’t scare me, because in reality they are animals that come down at a moment’s notice and then go to their goal. I imagine that they were looking for food, and then they withdrew from the sector. We would not need some kind of preparation, because the place and my house are closed. Personally I don’t have any more animals”, commented the owner of the place, Inés Arias.
The neighbor and owner of the supermarket “Los Cerezos”, Manuel Ocares, detailed the journey that the animal made through Los Lleuques. “The puma came out on Los Mañíos street. He always has his route, because there is a viewpoint, where he goes down and surely he left through Los Mañíos towards Route 55. Later he arrived through the pool and there he entered Los Copihues street inwards. I’m not scared at all. All the people I have talked to do not find it intimidating, since it is normal in this area, ”he specified.
The neighbor of Los Lleuques, Valeria Mendoza, said that there were no attacks attributable to the so-called “Chilean lion”, either on people or other animals.
“It is not often to see (pumas). At least I had never seen before, foxes have been seen. The sighting surprised me, because it is a large animal. When they told us to check the cameras, I thought they were kidding us and we checked the images from different points to see how they walked, their size. For now I am not afraid, because since it happened at night and was seen to pass by, and no attack was recorded. There are some people who said that we should be more careful, but beyond doing something, no, ”she related.
Animal behavior
According to Dr. Paula Aravena Bustos, Veterinary Medicine, PhD and director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of the University of Concepción, the intrusion of wild animals into urbanized areas is more frequent than people realize.
“Many wild animals that cannot coexist with the most deeply rooted populations in a territory are displaced to the periphery by their own kind. In other words, if we have a family group of pudúes in a relatively stable colony, the pudúes, which are being born and reaching puberty, are displaced by the adults themselves so that they can find their own family environment. And with the lack of natural habitat, these animals begin to go to the peripheries of parks, reserves or private areas where there is native vegetation and begin to distribute to forest plantations, agricultural zones or even more urbanized areas”, he explained.
The presence of these animals is also increased by the lack of natural environments as a result of forest fires and the effects of floods, after the overgrowth of rivers or lakes. “It causes the animals to lose more territory and need to move from one native forest to another, through urbanized areas, or they get lost or due to lack of food, because they don’t have it because the areas are flooded, therefore, there are no mice or at the time there are no lizards to eat. Foxes or winks, for example, can also get closer to urban areas, ”he added.
Finally, the professional pointed out that it is advisable to report to the SAG, protect domestic animals inside the home and allow their free movement, without getting in their way, for example, to take a photograph.
“Pumas are common in transit, what happens is that you don’t see them, because they are very stealthy animals and they don’t like our presence, they avoid us as much as possible. So, when they pass through a town, they do it quickly and very sporadically. But, in circumstances with a great lack of food, one or two weeks without eating, a young person may want to look for food in unfamiliar places such as houses. It is not a danger to the human population, except that we are going to get in its way or corner it to take pictures or capture it, ”he said.
From the SAG they informed La Discusión that they have not received complaints in this regard, clarifying that in the case of a sighting it is not pertinent to intervene, since it is a wild animal that should be allowed to continue on its way.
Regarding their protocols, the deputy regional director SAG Ñuble, Liliana Plaza, pointed out that it depends on the situation of the species. “If the animal is injured, an operation is organized to capture it and it is transferred to the wildlife rehabilitation center. If there is an attack on domestic cattle, which is verified by officials trained in this regard, the situation is analyzed in conjunction with complainants to evaluate preventive measures that they can adopt to protect their animals, ”she reported.
In the event of a new sighting, the authority recommended avoiding approaching the animal and in the event of an attack on domestic livestock or it is noticed that the animal has some type of injury, immediately report it to the SAG at the nearest office or by mail [email protected]
