Patagonia Puma in the Andes Mountains, Chile. Cornered by scientists, a Patagonia puma is fiercely unaware of the intruders' good intentions. William L. Franklin, an animal ecologist at Iowa State, has spent three years directing a study of the big cats in the high desert of the Chilean Andes. As members of Franklin's team approach the puma the immobilize it with a dart gun and collar it for future study, its position is not as precarious as it appears: a ledge a few feet below will stop the puma if it tumbles.

Photo is dated 1988.

Photo measures 10 x 8 inches.