A puma found wandering on the stairway of an apartment block on the extreme eastern edge of the Guadalajara metropolitan area was released this week into the La Primavera forest on the city’s western outskirts.

The Tlajomulco Wildlife Rescue Unit supervised the release, with support from staff at the Guadalajara Zoo and the non-profit organization Alianza Jaguar. The release coincided with Jalisco’s annual celebration of the day La Primavera was officially designated as a biosphere reserve.

The puma, a one-year-old male weighing 38 kilos, had been under observation and care at the Tlajomulco unit for nearly three weeks. Before being released, he was fitted with a GPS satellite tracking collar donated by Alianza Jaguar. This collar will allow researchers to monitor his movements and behavior in the forest, explained Erik Saracho, director of Alianza Jaguar. “The device is designed to remain in place as the animal matures and features a self-release mechanism, so there’s no need to recapture the puma to remove it.”

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