Balloons, teddy bears and chocolates are a common sight during Valentines’ Day across the globe, but one Chilean couple had quite a different celebration according to a report by the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf).

Two youngsters, who live in Angol, in La Araucanía region, south of Chile; decided to visit the Nahuelbuta National Park on Wednesday.

However, around 10pm, and as they were leaving, they noticed that their motorcycle was not working properly.

While checking the vehicle, both realized that a puma, an endangered species, showed up out of the blue and started to approach them.

They ran away and took refuge inside a Conaf shed, where they called the police and asked for help.

As the feline tried to knock down the door, the couple was advised to ensure that did not happen while the police made their way to rescue them.

When police officers arrived, the animal escaped to a nearby forest and its trace was lost. After that, both were taken to hospital to check their health condition.

What to do when encountering a puma?

According to the National Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), if someone encounters a puma while visiting the mountains, which is not uncommon given that these animals usually prowl looking for food; they need to stand firm and make eye contact to look “larger”, while walking backwards.

Running away is not advised, because doing so stimulates their hunting instict. Moreover, people should neither attack nor kill such species and alert either the police or the authorities.