Published on Wednesday, February 11, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

An adult puma surprised a group of tourists visiting Corcovado National Park on Costa Rica’s southwest Osa Peninsula in Puntarenas province.

The unusual encounter was recorded by tour guide Keylor Monge, who captured video of the wild cat emerging from the forest and calmly walking very close to a group of startled visitors.

Monge filmed the scene on his cellphone while guiding travelers along the trail near San Pedrillo Station. The video shows what appears to be an adult male puma moving calmly and seemingly accustomed to the presence of tourists.

The footage also captures the visitors’ reaction as they took photos and recorded the close encounter on their own phones.

Monge later shared the video on Instagram, where it has received more than 5,000 views.

This is one of the recent encounters involving a puma and humans. In January, a married U.S. couple with the last name Shipley discovered an adult puma on their property in the canton of Pérez Zeledón in San José province.

 

During that incident, the wildcat entered the Shipleys’ chicken coop late at night and killed 18 chickens.

Park rangers installed a cage on the property to ensure that if the animal returns and attacks again, it can be safely captured and relocated to a mountainous area away from the farm.

According to the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), pumas in the country are a subspecies of the cougar, found in populations ranging from western Mexico to the northern Andes Mountains of South America.

The species has a uniform brown coat, devoid of spots. Adult males weigh an average of about 176 pounds (80 kilograms), while females average about 110 pounds (50 kilograms).

Pumas are carnivores that prey on deer, common opossums, agoutis, coatis and other animals. As apex predators, they play a critical role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling herbivore populations. Without predators, species such as deer can overpopulate, leading to vegetation loss and reduced biodiversity, authorities said.

Wildlife officials cite hunting and habitat loss as the primary causes of declining puma populations. In Costa Rica, the species is classified as endangered and is protected under Wildlife Conservation Law No. 7,317, enacted in 1992. The law establishes the legal framework for wildlife conservation, management and sustainable use.

Corcovado National Park covers approximately 164 square miles, making it Costa Rica’s largest national park. It occupies about one-third of the Osa Peninsula.

The park contains the largest tract of primary forest along the Pacific coast of the Americas and is one of the few remaining sizable areas of lowland tropical forest in the world.

Corcovado is home to the endangered Baird’s tapir and a small population of harpy eagles. Its rivers and lagoons support American crocodiles, spectacled caimans and bull sharks.

Several feline species inhabit the park, including jaguars, ocelots, margays, jaguarundis and pumas. All four of Costa Rica’s monkey species live within the park: the endangered Central American squirrel monkey, white-faced capuchin, mantled howler and Geoffroy’s spider monkey.

Other mammals include two-toed and three-toed sloths, collared peccaries, northern tamanduas and silky anteaters. The park is also home to poison dart frogs, red-eyed tree frogs, glass frogs and several snake species, including the venomous fer-de-lance and bushmaster.

Visitors must purchase tickets online in advance through the official SINAC website.

SINAC is the government agency responsible for managing Costa Rica’s national parks and protected areas.

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