Cougar Beauty Secrets
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Patagonia has always held a special place in my heart. The vast landscapes, imposing mountains, serene lakes, and diverse wildlife leave me breathless. It was in this magical region that I experienced one of the most thrilling moments of my life: a face-to-face encounter with a puma.
On the second day of the W Circuit trek, I was hiking solo from Central Mountain Hostel towards Francés Mountain Hostel (a roughly 17 km/10.5-mile, 6-hour trek) when I spotted a figure in the bushes. My heart raced – could it be a Lesser Rhea ( flic.kr/p/2mw23tV ), the ostrich-like bird I'd been hoping to see?
Cautiously, I started taking pictures. To my surprise and delight, the creature emerged from hiding. But it wasn't a Rhea – it was a puma!
I never imagined seeing a puma so close. Its beauty and imposing presence left me speechless for a moment. I watched it, mesmerized by its reddish-gray coat and piercing eyes.
Torres del Paine National Park is estimated to have a puma population between 50 and 100. These magnificent animals are the second-largest cats in the Americas, after jaguars, though considered "small" globally. While Patagonian pumas are Chile's largest feline, males typically weigh between 150 and 220 pounds (68-100 kg), while females weigh over 100 pounds (49 kg). Their length can range from 5 to 9 feet (1.5-2.7 meters) from head to tail. (For reference, I'm 5'8" tall and weigh 140 pounds – 1.73 meters and 63.5 kg).
Fear quickly replaced my awe. I was alone in a wild environment, facing a top predator. What should I do?
Safety leaflets from the park entrance came to mind – make eye contact, stand tall, and don't run. Generally, staying calm is key around wild animals, as they're unlikely to attack unless threatened. Additionally, in a park with abundant food sources like guanacos, rheas, huemuls, Patagonian gray foxes, and culpeo foxes, the pumas likely wouldn't see me as prey.
Carefully, I put my camera away and gripped my trekking poles tightly. If the puma attacked, I'd defend myself with everything I had.
A Happy Ending and Unforgettable Lesson:
Thankfully, the puma showed no interest in me. With the same calmness it displayed upon arrival, it retreated back into the forest.
Trembling with a mix of emotions, I stood there for a few minutes. Adrenaline still coursed through my veins, but overwhelming joy and gratitude filled me. I had just witnessed a spectacular display of nature's power.
This encounter profoundly impacted me. It instilled a deep respect for wildlife and their habitat. It also revealed the awe-inspiring power of nature and the importance of connecting with it.
***
If you have Netflix, check out a documentary called "Our Great National Parks," narrated by Barack Obama. Season 1, episode 2 focuses on Chilean Patagonia. This breathtaking region boasts 24 unique national parks and is quickly becoming one of the most protected areas on Earth.
The series showcases the stunning beauty of the natural world, from the beaches of Africa and the islands of Japan to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Bonus fact: The episode featuring Chilean Patagonia even won Barack Obama an Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator!
Here is a fossa, it is a cat-like mammal that is closely related to the mongoose family, although, many people compare it to a small cougar. It is a carnivore endemic to Madagascar, and is currently considered in a vulnerable state.
This particular animal was relatively calm around people it seemed due to it being a frequent visitor to the bush camps garbage dump.
North Fork Falls
Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park
King County, Washington
April 2026
Tucked away within Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, the North Fork Falls trail offers a walk back through time. As you follow the path, you're tracing the rugged early-20th-century history of coal mining in Western Washington. The trail leads you to a true PNW gem, North Fork Falls, which gracefully plunges into Coal Creek.
As dusk sets in over the temperate rainforest in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, a large male Cougar pauses briefly while moving through the lush understory. Photographed using a DSLR camera trap.
Canon 5D Mark ii | Canon 17-40mm f/4 | 3 Nikon SB-28 Speedlights | Camtraptions PIR V3
1/160th | f/11 | ISO 2000
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Cougar Falls is a 40 ft waterfall on the Nickel Creek in Mt. Rainier National Park. This is the very top of it or, technically, it may be a different falls, because there is a nice round pool of water below us, before the main section begins. In any case, it is a lovely falls framed by smooth rock and brightly colored moss. It is a very short hike from the main park road. There is a small parking lot, but the trailhead is unmarked.
Explored on 6/24/24 at #10
Orphan cougar found at the Kalamalka lake was named after the site and reared at Kamloops Wildlife Park. He is now about 7 years old and shares his enclosure with an older lady, Zoe.
In December 2007, on the park hill Vellert, part of the new building district Zuidbroek, Apeldoorn, was the image Cage-with-no-cougar-in-it [Kooi-met-geen-poema-er-in] (locally known as The Cougar [De Poema]). The artwork is 12 meters long, 9 meters tall and consists of 2000 meters steel wire. The whole weighs 3000 kilos. After the image was completed in a large hall, it was sawn into five parts and transported from Dordrecht to Apeldoorn. The parts have been reassembled. From a distance there appears to be an animal in the cage, but up-close it's an abstract artwork.
Artist: Maarten de Reus
(In 2006 there were stories that there was a cougar wandering around on the Veluwe. This was never proven.) Typically "komkommertijd"-news.
When the newspapers are thin because of holidays and when little or nothing is to report on politics – since all politicians are on leave – one speaks of "komkommertijd" (translation from dutch to english "Cucumberseason"). In practice it comes down to the summer months of July and August.
:-)
www.brs.nl/downloads/Bouwen met Staal Poema.pdf
www.destentor.nl/apeldoorn/de-poema-wint-nationale-bouwpr...
Although they are usually called a Cougar, a Mountain Lion or a Panther, they are also often referred to as Painter, Deer Tiger and Catamount, depending on your geographic location. The Cougar has forty recognized names in the English language as well as at least twenty-five native North American names and eighteen South American names. All of which just goes to show how important scientific names are when referring to a species of animal. Like all other animals the Puma has only one scientific name (although this name may be changed to reflect our increasing scientific knowledge). Currently the Puma is Puma concolor (it was Felis concolor but this name is not now correct as the Puma is no longer considered to be a member of the genus Felis.)
For animals that hunt at night an enhanced sense of touch is obviously useful and for cats this is supplied by special sensitive hairs called vibrissae by scientists, but otherwise commonly known as whiskers. Vibrissae are extremely sensitive to touch and can tell the cat about even small changes in air movement around it. Being longer than ordinary hairs they are the first part of a cat to touch the world and they therefore allow a cat to move around in complete darkness without bumping into things.
Felines, with the notable exception of lions and to a lesser extent domestic cats, are habitually solitary, however they are sometimes are found in pairs (either m/m, f/f or m/f) or larger groups consisting of a single adult female and her immature young. Three quarters of cat species live in forests and many prefer a dense undergrowth that helps them approach their prey unseen.
In Captivity @ Northwest Trek - Eatonville, WA
2010 OIA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL RED EAST DIVISION
Kaiser High School, Aug 24, 2010
Kaiser Cougars vs Farrington Governors
BV: 14-25, 17-25
JV: 23-25, 25-21, 15-10
V: 25-16, 25-17
Kaiser Cougar Sports youtube.com/click2ed
Lady Cougars
Henry J. Kaiser High School
Girls Volleyball 2010
McKinley Tigers Volleyball Classic Girls Invitational
Aug 13-15, 2010
Looking to be a tad bit tardy, the Coast Starlight rolls through Cougar, California on a perfect summer morning in August 1994. As No. 14 passes over Deer Mountain Road, it's next stop will be at Klamath Falls, Oregon in a little over an hour. The grade is about 1.4% ascending here.
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He was sitting on a rocking chair looking out the door as the sun was starting to set..
The Cougar received the 1967 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, becoming the only Mercury-brand vehicle to do so.
We would sincerely like to apologize to anyone who thought they would find a picture of Mountain Lions in their natural habitat. You see, Grandma Fergeson sent Charlie Jr. out to get a picture of Cougars, real cougars. Now she figured he would just go on down to the library and get on the inter-web and download some pictures for her to choose from. Instead he went on down to Duke And Min’s Drive In Diner and took this picture.
I hear tell, you can buy insurance for the cougar on the left.
Hitch Hiker is from American Diorama
The Mercury Cougar is likely an AMT kit. It was found on Ebay and crafted by an unknown modeler who did a great job on the build.