A family in South America were rather surprised when a two-year-old puma broke into their kitchen during breakfast.

The video captures the wild animal trying to get through the wooden blinds, while pictures show the destruction the big cat caused when it worked out how to get in.

It is unclear exactly how the puma got into the house in Santiago, Chile, but the photos and short video clip were given to the country's Agriculture and Livestock Service by the unknown woman who took the incredible shots.

The broken glass on the floor suggest it burst through the window, before causing destruction in the room.

Puma in the kitchen
The puma chewed and scratched its way through the family's kitchen YouTube

Pumas, otherwise known as cougars, are relatively common in the country. They are fairly secretive and are rarely spotted during the day, as they are nocturnal and crepuscular. The creatures are closely related to smaller felines, such as the domestic cat.

They are among the largest cats in the world and have a varied meat diet, as they prey on and eat any animal they can. An adult male puma can weight over 200 pounds. as a result of humans encroaching into their natural habitats, the number of cougars attacking humans has risen. They are still very rare, with only 20 deaths between 1890 and 2004.

It seems that human homes aren't always safe from wild animals. In 2011, a television repairman working in a basement in New Jersey was horrified to find a 500-pound black bear prowling the room.

The bear, annoyed at having been woken up by the man, was chased by animal control officers before it was tranquilised and taken back to the woods. Reportedly, the repairman thought the rustling in the basement was because the house was haunted.

In the same year, an elderly woman asleep in her home in Birmingham awoke with a start when a fox jumped onto her. Thinking it was a large cat, Mary Small only realised it was a wild animal when she caught sight of a bushy tail. It hid under a table before running out of the house. Mr Small took a photograph, while his wife hid in the toilet.