Critter of the Month: Pumas of Patagonia
Reflecting its enormous range - from northern Canada to the southern Andes - Puma concolor is known by many names. In the U.S. it’s most commonly called mountain lion or cougar, but to South Americans this animal has been known as puma since the time of the Incas. Pumas are incredibly adaptable cats able to thrive in mountains, forests, deserts, and even famously in the hills above Los Angeles. Shy and secretive, they are seldom seen in most of their range. Despite a lifetime of wilderness hiking in cougar country, I have only had two brief encounters, both roadside sightings. So when I learned there was a place not only to see, but to walk among these incredible cats I immediately signed on!
Among the Pumas of Patagonia
Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile is well-known for hosting a population of pumas. Trekkers encounter them on occasion, sometimes getting a glimpse of a distant cat roaming the treeless plains. But on some estancias (ranches) adjacent to the park, landowners have replaced their livestock farming with private puma tours. No longer hunted as predators, pumas thrive here and have become habituated to the people who come to get a glimpse into their wild lives. Outside the park, on these private lands, guides lead visitors in trucks and on foot throughout the estancia to get incredible up-close experiences. Of course, encountering pumas is never guaranteed. Their camouflage allows them to completely blend into the grasslands and they spend much of the day quietly resting, making them hard to spot. Our anticipation was high for some good sightings, never dreaming in our six days there that we would encounter twelve different cats - completely exceeding all of our expectations!
Each morning the puma trackers would head out before first light to find cats. Luckily, the guancos (wild cousins to llamas) pumas feed on have a puma-specific alarm call to alert the herd when a predator is spotted. This is a great cue to the trackers that a puma is nearby. They’d radio us and we’d drive out to the site. Sometimes the cats were close, other times we had to hike a ways to see them. They were often resting, but sometimes would be on the move and we’d try to follow.
It was remarkable how comfortable the pumas were with our presence. We were careful to keep a respectful distance, although they ignored us almost completely. On a couple of occasions when they were playing or on the move, they walked right up to and past us. Clearly, they considered us no threat whatsoever. It was notable, though, that we only saw female pumas. Males have much larger ranges that take them to neighboring estancias - some of which still shoot them to protect their livestock. As a result, males are still wary of humans and stay out of sight.
Over the course of the week we saw many of the cats multiple times, especially Petaca and her two cubs. All of the cats are known by sight to the trackers, as well as their relationships to one another so it was wonderful to have such insight on individual animals. We were also very fortunate to see cats on a guanaco kill made overnight. Despite the puma’s reputation as a solitary cat, they were (mostly) happy to share with one another. At one point, there were SEVEN pumas feeding on or lounging around the kill! We met: Petaca and her cubs, Sol and her cub, Intrusa, Ginger, Hermanita, Blinka, Coiron, Patagone, and Repestra. Despite the uniform color of pumas, it was cool to see how much variation there is between cats.
Guanacos are beautiful creatures, so soft and elegant. I’m grateful they live in such abundance to sustain the pumas. And I’m incredibly grateful to the ranchers who recognized the value in protecting pumas so they can thrive in this wild and windswept place.
Puma Likes: Napping! Like other cats, pumas may rest up to 20 hours a day - especially with a full belly!
Puma Dislikes: Sharp-eyed guanacos who ruin their stalk by alerting the herd. It’s not easy catching prey unaware.
Puma Super Power: Pumas are crazy athletic! They can leap 20 feet up into a tree and 60 feet down. They are the fourth largest wild cat, able to take down large prey with their powerful muscles, wicked sharp claws and vice-like bite. Watch out, guanacos!
