The municipality of Vila Gesell gave for finished the search for the cougar which caused alarm in the population, because found no trace of the animal and estimates that he returned to his natural habitat.
The Mayor Gustavo Barrera held a meeting with fauna specialists on Friday and they all concluded that “never seen more than one cougar and that in all the images captured in which the presence of the animal in the city is observed, the same characteristics are seen,” highlighted the official website of the commune.
He specified that in one of the last images in which the puma is seen, “it is seen in an open area and way to its natural habitat; this is added to the three nocturnal complaints that coincide in seeing him on the route”
In addition, they noted that in the telephone calls to the Secretary of Security, “no images of the animal could be captured.”
The community chief maintained that this is the first time that pumas have appeared in the urban area, but he recalled that their natural habitat It is made up of an area of about 5,700 hectares of wetlands located between Villa Gesell and Mar Azul.
Yes, on the other hand, other native animals such as capybaras or foxes can be seen in the streets of the spa town, since Villa Gesell is surrounded by mountains, dunes and wetlands.
Although the main hypothesis is that the cougars became disoriented and have already returned to their habitat, residents of the area did not rule out that the animals have been in captivity in a house in the seaside resort.
This week, the Buenos Aires Ministry of Agrarian Development released a series of recommendations in which they suggest “keep distance and allow the feline to move away without getting in its way, not to chase on foot or in vehicles, since that puts the animal at risk and people, move dogs away to avoid cornering or chasing them, and stay away from their pups if they are present.
How to act in the presence of a cougar?
Follow these recommendations, and contact the Rural Prevention Command in your area by calling 911. The Rural Police acts in permanent contact with the Directorate of Flora and Fauna in each jurisdiction. pic.twitter.com/xGkCihUf9e— Ministry of Agrarian Development (@AgrarioPBA) July 15, 2022
They also indicated that, in the event of a face-to-face encounter with a specimen, an attempt should be made to “simulate a larger body size by raising your arms and, if possible, climbing to some elevated surface, and pick up any children present in your arms.”
“Shake jackets, bags and other objects that you have at hand so that this stimulates the feline to move away,” they stressed.
On the other hand, they recalled that the capture, possession, commercialization and hunting of pumas is prohibited in the province of Buenos Aires, by the Rural Code.
Along these lines, they recalled that in case of any doubt, they can communicate with the Rural Prevention Command of each area by calling 911.
