Puma Action

We think it would be a good idea to return to where we saw the pumas last night. They may still be there. There are three more groups going out this morning. A guide and his guest stand on a distant hill trying to see what we are looking at. They will have a very long and difficult walk!

Nana has gone ahead of us and confirms that she can still see the male puma in the bush. We drive along the bumpy track to the top of the hill and walk downhill to join her. It is raining and cold. The ground is steep and slippery underfoot so we must tread carefully. We take a wide course around the bush but have to suddenly change our direction as we see a second puma lying in the grass directly ahead of us. This is SOOOOOO exciting. The male is Carnasa. He is huge and still eating the carcass.

When he looks straight at you, it makes a chill run down your spine. This is the first time I have been a little apprehensive as the males are less tolerant than the females. They deserve an extremely large measure of respect.

From our position we can now see the female puma – it is Ginger. She is waiting patiently for Carnasa to leave the kill.

This will be a long wait. Carnasa is in no rush. We then notice a third puma on the ridge above Carnasa. This turns out to be Coiran.

Carnasa eventually stands up and starts to cover the kill with foliage to hide it from birds and other scavengers. I had no idea that pumas did this. He then moves a few feet away and settles down for some grooming and relaxation. He licks his paws, which are huge.

As it is our sighting, the protocol is that we shall choose our viewing position and anyone else must setup around us. We are joined by one of the cameramen who was involved with the filming of Dynasties. We sit and wait for movement. I have marked the position of the three pumas in the photo below.

Eventually Carnasa walks away and settles down in the shelter of a bush on the edge of the hillside. Here he can survey the landscape and check if any more pumas are approaching. Ginger sees her chance and stealthily creeps down to the kill.

She starts eating but Carnasa notices. What will happen now? He gets up and comes back to the kill, slowly at first and then with a charge. Ginger springs back quickly but there is no direct conflict. They stare at each other for a few minutes and then Carnasa decides he is pretty full and goes back to his resting spot. Ginger now tucks into the kill and it is not long before Coiran inches down the hillside and joins her.

This is all pretty awesome but becomes even more so as a fourth puma is spotted on the ridge behind us. This turns out to be Dania – easily distinguishable as she has a torn left ear. She is much more wary and takes her time to descend down the mountain.

There is some hissing, followed by some deep growls as Dania joins Ginger and Coiran but then they all peaceably go back to eating. Eventually they are fully sated and one by one saunter off into the distance.

We have spent over three hours with the pumas and it feels like no time at all despite the fact it was cold, wet and uncomfortable for we are standing and sitting on steep uneven ground. What an adrenalin rush though. A totally AWESOME morning!

We decide to have a leisurely afternoon and will be driving to a nearby estancia in the hope of seeing some of the other wildlife that lives here. The weather has changed completely. It is now hot with a strong wind blowing. You really can get four seasons in a day here.

We spot an armadillo along the roadside. He is sitting beside his burrow and ready to disappear at any moment. I do at least capture a few shots of him, though he is a bit hidden.

At the estancia a family of guanacos graze casually in the meadow. We watch a young guanaco feeding.

A lapwing and crested caracara search amongst the flowers for seeds and insects and a rhea runs across the plains disturbing clouds of insects as it passes by.

The scenery is different here but still spectacular.

Sheep are grazing in the valley and being herded by a gaucho on horseback. The sheep are protected from pumas by large white dogs. This is a step in the right direction to prevent the pumas being shot, which until recently happened in huge numbers. Hopefully times are changing, though many pumas are still being hunted and killed.

We discovered, whilst walking through the brush in the pursuit of pumas, that there are lots of tiny and very prickly seed heads, which generously attach themselves to your shoe laces, trousers and socks. During the process of trying to remove them, tiny thorns inevitably break off and im-bed themselves in your fingers where they remain for the next few days. Annoying (and painful). The poor sheep below is absolutely covered in them.

We head back and see a large family of rheas and a distant fox trying to catch butterflies.

Our final stop is at a huge estancia called Cerro Guido. It is huge at 100,000 hectares and owned by an extremely well-connected family. They have huge wealth and influence and the resources to market themselves as the main instigators behind conservation here, although this is not the case. Until four years ago, they were killing vast numbers of pumas every year. Following the puma documentaries, they have changed their ways, which has to be a very positive thing. However, the reality is that they are late to the party. Estancia Laguna Amarga (where we did all our tracking) were the front runners in puma conservation some 20+ years ago.

Our final sighting for the day is of an American kestrel, which perches on fence posts to spot prey and then hovers over the grass and swoops down to catch them. Again it is distant but at least we have seen one and they are very beautiful birds.

As we drive back the wind is very strong indeed and blows clouds of dust and gravel across the road. The car is often buffeted and knocked slightly off course. Victor tells us this is nothing. He once was driving, along this stretch of road with guests, when the wind was so powerful that it hurled rocks at the back window which broke. The vehicle was immediately filled with dust and stones. He says it was quite terrifying. I imagine it was. In fact we were told, when we first arrived, that the only thing that might inhibit our puma tracking would be the wind. Sometimes it is just much too dangerous to venture out.

This is our last night here. It has been exhausting but a truly once in a lifetime experience. The hotel was so clean and staff welcoming. Food was somewhat repetitive with every meal (lunch and dinner) comprised of soup followed by a choice of steak, chicken, lamb or salmon with rice or chips and salad. However it was always cooked nicely and I discovered they made a very good lemon meringue pie which became my go to dessert. Yum!

Victor and Nana are heading back to Puerto Natales tonight. We say our farewells and thank them profusely for their company and truly astonishing guiding and tracking skills. What an absolutely fabulous time we have had here. It has exceeded all our expectations a hundred times over.