Pumas - Torres del Paine National Park, Chile (2017)

Regardless of what you call them, mountain lion, puma, cougar, catamount, or panther, and despite a range extending from Canada to the southern Andes of South America, the elusive Puma concolor is a notoriously difficult animal to observe in the wild. 

However, I knew that if I were ever going to see a puma in the wild, I was going to have my best opportunity during my visit to Chilean Patagonia. The combination of conservation efforts and protection within Torres del Paine National Park and an adjacent private ranch in addition to an abundance of their primary prey, guanaco, has provided prime habitat and resulted in a thriving puma population. This area is now the premier location in the world to observe pumas in the wild.

I sat watching this mother and her two nearly full grown cubs resting for several hours on this late summer afternoon, completely transfixed to be in the presence of an animal I had previously only dreamed of seeing in the wild. As evening approached the two sub-adult juveniles began playfully wrestling and chasing one another under their mother’s careful watch. Soon these two juveniles will leave their mother, seeking out their own territory in this incredible place.

Limited edition of one hundred

More Info ↓