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'I was trembling like a jelly': 9-year-old boy bumps into growling puma in school toilet

The puma was hit with a tranquilizer dart before being released back into the wild, according to local authorities

Nobody would want to stay near a wild beast growling at them. But unluckily, a young 9-year-old boy did meet a snarling puma at his school toilet in Brazil. After stepping into the restroom during a school football game, David Miguel, said his "heart almost stopped" when he saw the feral cat. 

The unusual episode occurred at Nova Lima's Martha Drummond Fonseca Municipal School. "I was trembling like jelly," the boy told local media, as reported by The Sun. My heart almost stopped when it went “grrr.” The child dashed outside to inform his father after he encountered the animal. “I thought it was going to be an ocelot, a wild dog or something else,” Rodrigo Almeida, the boy's father, said, “The moment I saw the animal was that size, I ran back.”

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The puma was hit with a tranquilizer dart before being released back into the wild, according to local authorities. The animal, according to the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), was a young female who was unhurt in the encounter. Deforestation, according to veterinarian Marcos Mourao, is driving a rise in wild animals approaching urban areas.

“We know this has been happening due to increased deforestation, large wildfires, and the destruction of the natural habitat of these animals,” he said, adding, “Then, in their escape, they end up crossing into towns and cities.” Residents should avoid creating excessive noise, leave the area gently, and contact emergency services immediately if they come across a dangerous wild animal, according to Mourao.

Twitter users popped up to share their views on the horrific event. One user wrote, “That's nothing, I once saw a Cougar coming out of the Ladies 😃” Another user wrote, “I'm thinking Kurt Zouma should be phoned to help x” Another user stated, “I think I’d be pretty annoyed if someone filmed me in the loo!” while another said, “If that happened to me I would puma pants” Another person wrote, “the reason is obvious, destruction of their habitat, shortage of food leads them right in to human hands, followed by either death or ending up in a cage for life”

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