A puma (Concolor Cougar) was spotted wandering near the Golfito Canton Public Clinic, also known as Ebais, in Puntarenas Province.

The wild cat was spotted strolling around the town, prompting bystanders to post images of the visitor on social media.

Mauricio Minor Madriz-Gamboa, a driver for a private ambulance service firm, was among those who witnessed a big cat up close.

Madriz stated in the photo's caption that the animal was strolling about the clinic's grounds for a few minutes. The puma then dashed into the jungle.

The extraordinary encounter was confirmed by officials from the National System of Conservation Areas (Sinac), the governmental institution in charge of managing all of Costa Rica's national parks and wildlife reserves.

The discovery of the puma near the town proves that the population is booming, Sinac stated.

Authorities believe the puma came from the Golfito National Wildlife Refuge, which is located near Golfito Canton.

The puma may be found in the majority of the country's national parks and wild regions, from the Barra del Colorado National Park in the northern zone of the Caribbean Coast to the Corcovado National Park in the southern zone of the Pacific Coast's Osa Peninsula.

The Central American puma is a North American cougar subspecies. Populations of this subspecies can be found in western Canada, the western United States, Central America and South America north of the Andes Mountains.

The puma has a complete brown coat with no patches. Males weigh an average of 80 kg (176 lb), while females weigh an average of 50 kg (110 lb).

The wild cat is a carnivore, and its primary food species include deer, common opossum, agouti, and coati, among many others. 

As a huge predator, the puma plays a vital role in ecological regulation. The presence of cougars as predators prevents herbivorous prey, such as deer, from overpopulating in an environment. Prey overpopulation can lead to the annihilation of flora and biodiversity in an environment. 

The main reasons for puma population declines are hunting and habitat degradation, authorities said.

They are classified as endangered in Costa Rica and are protected under Wildlife Conservation Law No. 7.317, which was passed in 1992 and defines the legislative framework for wildlife conservation, management, and sustainable use.

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