The incredible story of the cougar who lived as a pet under a bed and will now be free

After years of captivity and bureaucratic obstacles, an Argentine cougar will eventually be released. The animal, christened with the nickname "Pangüi", had been captured by a family in Trelew, who had it as a pet. Now the authorities have managed to complete the permits to move it to the biopark from the city of Durazno, Uruguay.

The story of this feline was revealed when Trelew's zoonotic authorities found him in a house in October 2015, thanks to a neighbor's complaint. "I was in a yard, hidden behind accumulated things, including a bed. I was alert, but calm. If he had been wilder, he would have wanted to escape. But only managed to hide, "said Verena Dietz at the time, the function in charge of this body.

"Pangüi" was in good health and weighed between 80 and 100 kilograms. In the presence of lifeguards, all he did was watch them. Once they managed to catch him, he was transferred to the Rawson Zoo.

But it was not his ideal destiny. After four years of existence, a team consisting of the Wildlife and Wildlife Branch, the Institute of Social Welfare, the General San Martin Recreation Park Coordination in Rawson and the Animal Life Foundation managed to get the permits allowing him to Uruguay, in a natural park.

In this biopark, located in Durazno, a large variety of native birds, deer and mammals coexist on about 100 hectares. And, now, it will become the new home of "Pangüi".

Following the case, the authorities recalled that a local campaign was under way raise awareness about the dangers of having these wild animals as pets. From their aggressive behavior, from diseases to the generation of species problems for their reintegration into the wild.