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Rescuers returned a puma captured in Tibas to its natural habitat |
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 By the A.M. Costa Rica
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A puma caught Sunday morning in the town of Tibás in San José* is in good condition and was released into a safe wilderness area in the Braulio Carrillo National Park*. Pablo Vásquez of the National System of Conservation Areas said "it is a large puma, the animal comes right from the forest, what we did was anesthetize it and move it to a natural area, where the animal can continue its life safely." The feline's capture operation was in the charge of firefighters officials, police officers, specialists of the National System of Conservation Areas and specialists of the Ministry of Environment. According to the specialists, the puma was a young adult male, in good physical condition and completely wild. There were no clues that the animal had been domesticated. The presence of these animals in the area is possible since the Central Valley is surrounded by rural and protected wildlife areas. The animal could have left the Braulio Carrillo National Park* and reached the city along the Virilla River. "These wild animals can use the banks of the rivers as transit areas and in search of armadillos, raccoons and other wild species that they use as food. They are not dangerous for humans, and in our presence they flee," specialists said in a statement. Once the animal was anesthetized, blood and tissue samples were taken for DNA and disease analysis. He was checked for parasites and a satellite collar was attached so he could be tracked after his release in the Braulio Carrillo National Park*. Lori Haskell, an A.M. Costa Rica reader who lives in Herradura, reported seeing two young pumas playing near her home. According to Mrs. Haskell testimony: "I thought it was two foxes, or something similar. I was annoyed I did not get a better pic for identifying! So, I decided to walk about fifteen feet away and wait a few minutes. I figured if they were friends or siblings, one would cross to be with the friend again. About five minutes later, the creature from the right came back on the trail but facing away from me ...... ..... Got home, showed the pic to Kurt who immediately said "puma". I pulled out my mammal book and looked online, but did not know for sure, so I asked some of my wildlife expert friends who all said 'puma juvenile.' |
 National System of Conservation Areas courtesy photo The search
for food is the reason that pumas are motivated
to leave the forests and enter populated areas.
Another recent encounter with a Puma was in July 2018, when a puma entered a hotel restaurant in Pérez Zeledón*. According to the police report, on July 13 at 4:47 a.m. the security cameras of the restaurant Dona Elsa caught the puma on video when it entered the restaurant. "At that time there were two customers and the staff was serving breakfast, but no one saw the puma, the animal was detected only on the security camera," said the police in their report. In another report, this time from Aguacate near Tilarán in Guanacaste*, a puma was seen attacking a farmer’s livestock. The area includes heavy forests and protected regions. According to specialists, the search for food is the reason that pumas are motivated to leave the forests and enter populated areas. ---------- Have you heard of any other type of wild animal that has entered a populated area? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com *Link to reach the place on a map. |
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