Officials from the Zoo Ave Wildlife Rescue Center in Costa Rica are hopeful that a rare Puma yagouaroundi that was struck on a highway by a vehicle will fully recover…. Read more » Continue reading →
Officials from the Zoo Ave Wildlife Rescue Center in Costa Rica are hopeful that a rare Puma yagouaroundi that was struck on a highway by a vehicle will fully recover.
According to daily tabloid La Teja, the small wild cat was found in Pilas de Canjel, in the Lepanto community of the province of Puntarenas. This town is located on the shores of the Gulf of Nicoya, near the southern tip of the Peninsula.
In Costa Rica, this species is known as jaguarundi, but is often called tigrillo or even leoncillo, which are Spanish diminutive terms for tiger and lion, respectively. Members of the Pilas de Canjel community found the feline on a narrow highway, dazed and mostly unable to move. Local authorities were contacted and eventually the jaguarundi was transported to Zoo Ave in La Garita, province of Alajuela.
The Zoo Ave staff stood ready to help the wild cat as it arrived on Thursday. Wildlife veterinarians determined that the jaguarundi probably lost consciousness after being struck by a vehicle, and that a few hours passed before humans found it. Sergio Gonzalez, director of Wildlife Rescue Operations at Zoo Ave, explained to La Teja that they were afraid the feline’s spine was broken.
What worried us the most was that its column may have fractured, but we ruled that out.
As people in Costa Rica prepared to celebrate the country’s 192nd year as an independent nation on Sunday, the jaguarundi’s condition improved. The tissue around its hind legs and hip area was still inflamed, but Zoo Ave officials were confident that they will enjoy the honor of releasing the animal back to its habitat in Guanacaste in a few days.
This species is far from being in endangered conservation status due to its massive population in the Amazon region. In Costa Rica, however, these felines are facing loss of habitat due to increased development of the Nicoya region as a coveted vacation and retirement destination. This is, after all, a region made notable by Hollywood celebrity Mel Gibson’s Hacienda Dorada and other places that have attracted the rich and famous to Costa Rica.
Mr. Gonzalez of Zoo Ave explained that wildlife struck by cars is a sad consequence of animals being displaced by development; their sources of nourishment are becoming scarce, and they must venture out into dangerous roads in search of food.