A woman in Santiago, Chile, recently encountered a shocking visitor in her home—a wild puma tearing up her kitchen.
Capturing the stunning moment on camera, she later provided the images to Chile’s Agriculture and Livestock Service.
The exact way the large cat entered the home is uncertain, but broken window panes suggest the puma likely forced its way in rather than using the front door.
Pumas, fairly common in many parts of Chile, are one of the largest cats in the Western Hemisphere, second only to jaguars.
Also known as cougars, adult male pumas can grow over seven feet long and weigh as much as 220 pounds, making them formidable predators.
As “generalist predators,” pumas will hunt and eat a wide range of animals, though they rarely threaten humans.
However, encounters have become more frequent as human populations expand into the puma’s natural habitat.
From 1890 to 1990, only 53 confirmed cougar attacks occurred, resulting in 10 deaths. By 2004, the number had risen to 88 attacks and 20 fatalities due to increased human encroachment.
As for the kitchen-invading puma, what became of it after the incident is unknown. Let’s just hope it didn’t include humans on its menu!
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