I’ve spent the past 20 years filming wildlife throughout the world and I can say without hesitation that my favorite place on the planet is Estancia Laguna Amarga and my favorite wildlife subjects are the pumas that call it home. Over the past several years I’ve been very fortunate to have spent a great deal of time following and filming several families of pumas as on the estancia. There is no where else on Earth where you can view and photograph the dramatic intimate lives of pumas like you can on the Estancia Every day brings the possibility of seeing wildlife drama impossible to glimpse anywhere else and all of this takes place in a stunning landscape at the base of one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world. But as stunning as the landscape and pumas are I find the owners and people working on the ranch equally inspiring. This private preserve is one of the most successful conservation stories I’ve ever come across. It has sparked a revolution of ecotourism in Patagonia and has provided pumas and other wildlife with a vital landscape outside of the National Park where they can live their lives without threat of poaching. And Estancia Laguna Amarga serves as an example to other estancias in the region of what is possible and of just how valuable conservation can be. I believe the future is very bright for pumas in the Magallanes region of Chile and Estancia Laguna Amarga is a big reason for that.

John Shier, USA

Wildlife cinematographer