Search for puma in Veluwe continues
15 June 2005
AMSTERDAM The public has been warned to avoid the Veluwe woods near Ede as police and game wardens continue to search for a potentially dangerous puma.
It is unclear how a puma came to be in the Veluwe, a 60km wooded area that includes the Hoge Veluwe national park. The police have not received reports of anyone losing their big cat pet, nor have any pumas escaped from a zoo in the Netherlands.
But police have warned cyclists and ramblers to avoid the woods near Ede because experts say a puma on the loose could be very dangerous.
Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman said attempts would be made to capture the animal alive, but if that failed it would if(flashinstalled == 2){document.write(" ");}else{document.write("
");}be shot and killed.
Experts at Pantera, a refugee for beasts of prey, have suggested the puma being sought in the Veluwe is the same animal that has been sighted for several years in Brabant and Limburg provinces.
The hunt for the animal is useless as the animal is too clever and quick to be caught, a spokesperson said.
Newspaper 'De Telegraaf' reported that the first signs of the puma were detected near Harskamp at the weekend. Over the following days more traces were found and members of the public reported sighting. Game wardens also found half-eaten game.