Wild puma rescued from tree in Chilean capital

A wild puma kept watch over a neighbourhood of Chile's capital Santiago for 15 hours in a tree before it was rescued, the zoo in charge of the operation said on Thursday.

The young male puma, which weighs around 30 kilograms (66 pounds), was first seen upon a huge tree on Wednesday afternoon in the El Arrayan neighbourhood.

He remained there, practically without moving, until he was shot with a tranquillizer dart by the Agriculture and Livestock Service, after which he fell 18 meters (59 feet) onto cushions, his drop also slowed by branches.

"It was the best scenario. It was a low-risk fall," Alejandra Montalba, director at the city's Metropolitan Zoo, which oversaw the rescue operation, told local media.

"He climbed the tree because he was very scared as there were dogs and many people. He wasn't going to come down alone," added Montalba.

It is unclear why the puma found itself in an urban zone but with the growth of Santiago into the surrounding foothills of the Andes, sightings of wild animals in built-up areas are becoming ever more common, Montalba said.

Pumas also are known as cougars, mountain lions, panthers and Catamounts are large wild cats native to the Americas and can be found from Canada's northwest Yukon territory all the way down to the southern Andes.

Fully grown males average just over 60kg but can weigh up to 100kg and can stand up to 90 centimetres tall.