The puma is the cougar, otherwise known as the mountain lion, of South America.

And tonight, the puma will be featured on a National Geographic television special, thanks to research conducted by Bill Franklin, an Iowa State professor of animal ecology, and his graduate students.

The puma roams the Patagonia region of southern Argentina and Chile along the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains, searching for guanacos, a wild version of the domestic llama.

This special is the first wildlife film ever made on the free-ranging wild pumas.

“It’s centered around the life of one particular puma whose name is Penny,” Franklin said. Her life, her trauma, her raising of cubs and her interaction with other wildlife in Torres del Paine National Park of Chile is the focus of the special.

British director and cinematographer Hugh Miles filmed the special during several seasons under harsh conditions, Franklin said. The film tells of the difficulties in following Penny during the different seasons.

Franklin said the work was difficult, but it all paid off after the awards came in and National Geographic decided to use it for a television special.

“The film was just recently shown at an international wildlife film festival in Great Britain where it won two Golden Panda Awards, which are very prestigious in the wildlife film industry. It’s like the Oscar of the wildlife film industry,” he said.

The film was also voted the best film at the International Wildlife Film Festival in Great Britain earlier this year.

“Puma: The Lion of the Andes” will air at 7 p.m. nationwide on NBC, Channel 13 in the Des Moines and Ames viewing area.

Franklin has been working in southern South America for more than 20 years. He and his graduate students have researched the ecological habits of guanacos, a source of food for the puma.

“The reason I got involved with the film is because they eat guanacos,” he said. Franklin has also worked with films made for the public television shows “Nova” and “Nature” and has published several articles in National Geographic.

He has also made a film on guanacos for educational purposes which was produced at Iowa State. It won seven international film awards and is often viewed in ISU biology classes.

Franklin recently returned from a visit to Chile.

While there he looked for Penny but could not find her.

He did see her cubs, who are now grown.