A wildlife photographer for a popular nature show shared a terrifying experience while on the job. Sam Stewart films for “Animals Up Close,” a Disney+ show focused on wildlife. While filming an episode in Patagonia, he noticed a puma was following him.
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Stewart was filming an episode called “Patagonia Pumas,” so the encounter was not a surprise. However, despite his calm composure and jokes about the puma eating his snacks, you can tell Stewart is a little uncomfortable with how close the animal is.
Stewart says he and his team were filming this puma in Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park when it began to follow them.
“It’s vital the national park is protected, and it’s always a privilege to be able to shine a small spotlight on these wild places and hopefully add to the massive list of reasons why humans need to protect the natural world as best as possible,” wrote Stewart on his post on Instagram.
Many also refer to pumas as cougars and mountain lions in the U.S. The animal lives in both North and South America. In the U.S., the animal’s range includes many states west of the Mississippi River.