Cud-chewing vicuñas make a big comebackSeptember 29, 1995
Web posted at: 12:15 a.m. EDT (0415 GMT)
From Correspondent Ronnie Lovler
PARINACOTA, Chile (CNN) -- Just 20 years ago, a placid scene set 4,000 meters up in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile would have been nearly impossible to witness. The vicuña, a cud-chewing member of the camel family that had been hunted into near extinction, is back.
In the 1970s, only 800 remained. A strict conservation program was implemented that began with the creation of a place for them to live. A huge reserve for the vicuñas has been set aside in the Lauca National Park. Now, the remote Andean Highlands, near Lake Chungara, are home to some 20,000 vicuñas. Conservationists estimate the population is near its natural limit.
The vicuña comeback is an environmental success story for Chile. As its ecological programs in other sectors, such as forestry, come under increasing attack, the government can point with pride to its vicuña preservation campaign.
The vicuñas share their turf with Alpacas and Llamas, who also graze in the sparse grasslands. All are an attraction for the tourists, who stop to take pictures or hike through the reserve. It's peaceful and clean. And most of the animals are not afraid of people.
There are also economic benefits to the vicuña comeback. Their
numbers are sufficient for Chilean authorities to look into ways
the animals can be sheared periodically so that their much-prized
wool can be exported for use by the fashion industry.
"We have experimented with shearing the animals. We are trying to develop a way to corral them in, using motorcycles to herd them into a pen to shear their wool. Then they are freed again," says Chile Forest Corporation's Alberto Bordue.
Such a project could provide work for the Aymara Indians, who
populate the Highlands in scattered hamlets and have few ways to
earn a living.
But ecology, not economics, was the driving force in the campaign to keep the vicuñas from becoming extinct, and that is unchanged. Preservation of the species is the priority.
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