Patagonia Puma Expedition

In July of 2024, I joined Lucas Bustamante and Nicolas Devos of Savia Foundation on an expedition to Torres del Paine, Chilean Patagonia, tracking and documenting wild pumas on foot through one of the world’s most iconic wild landscapes.

The park is home to a stable population of pumas, including Petaka, a well-known female recognized for her resilience and maternal strength. Watching her guide her cubs through the rugged terrain highlighted a hard truth: survival here is a constant negotiation, not just for the cats, but for the people who share this landscape.

Historically, pumas were viewed as livestock threats, and local ranchers saw them as competitors to be eliminated. But in recent years, a growing ecotourism industry has shifted these dynamics. Landowners have found that live pumas are worth far more than dead ones, as global travelers now come to Torres del Paine specifically for the chance to see these predators in their natural environment. This shift has driven a broader cultural change, with former hunters now working as trackers and guides, earning steady incomes while supporting conservation.

This is the model worth replicating: a place where economic incentives line up with ecological protection, and where the people who used to hunt the cats now make a steady living tracking them.

Walking these landscapes with Lucas and Nicolas — both of whom have spent their careers bridging science, storytelling, and practical conservation — reinforced what RRI keeps coming back to. Conservation isn’t something that happens from a distance. It’s messy, physical, and locally-led.