translated from Spanish: Puma slams found to be rescued in Lo Barnechea and SAG filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office

In January last year a cougar was rescued from a tree in the commune of Lo Barnechea, after an extensive operation the officials of the Metropolitan Park Zoo had managed to rescue the animal after 15 hours trapped in a garden . After checking his condition and seeing that he was in good condition, the Livestock Agricultural Service (SAG) returned him to his natural habitat, in the mountain range, and put a satellite tracking collar on him to monitor him. This article allowed to find him lifeless in the area of Til Til, the regional director of the SAG Metropolitano, Marcelo Giagnoni, related that “the monitoring work carried out by the service with this feline through a radio collar made it possible to determine that the animal did not displacement, causing concern among officials, who in the hope that the device had been damaged or released from the animal’s body began its search, which unfortunately culminated in the finding his death.” Officials from the IDP’s Environmental Crimes Brigade reviewed the case, but were unable to determine its cause of death, so it was sent to the Veterinary Department of Andrés Bello University to try to establish that information, as it was not third-party participation or food poisoning is ruled out. In addition, the SAG filed a complaint with the local Chacabuco Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of the crime of animal abuse.” The cougar is a protected species in Chile and its hunting is prohibited; therefore, if abuse of the animal or death is found, the consequences will be severe for the offender,” the regional director concluded.

Original source in Spanish