Story By: Angjela Trajkovska, Sub Editor: Alex Cope, Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN/@centenarionoticia
This is the moment a large puma breaks free of a net trap and leaps from a roof onto the street below as nearby residents scream in terror.
The incident was filmed in Hipodromo in the city of Neuquen in the western Argentine province of the same name when a large cougar (Puma concolor), also known as a puma, reportedly weighing between 40 and 50 kilogrammes (88 and 110 lbs), was found resting in a house under construction.
Residents were alarmed by the big cat’s presence and immediately alerted the authorities who arrived a few hours later, according to local media.
Reports said that the street was closed as animal catchers shot the puma with a tranquilliser dart, however it still managed to break free of a net trap and jumped down onto the street, spooking nearby onlookers.
Video Credit: CEN/@centenarionoticia
Footage of the incident has been viewed 76,000 times on Facebook.
Another clip shows the moment rescuers release the big cat back into the wild.
The authorities were able to catch the animal when the tranquiliser dart started to kick in, and they later released it into the wild about 230 kilometres (143 miles) from where it was captured, according to local media.
Wildlife expert Diego Moreno confirmed that the puma was a young male “in a very healthy state” and suggested that the animal may have entered the residential area after being chased out of its habitat by hunters.
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