This conservation success story comes from the high pampas of Peru, via Mongabay.com. There, at attitudes of 13,000 feet or more, live the darling of the camelid family the vicuña,
Vicugna vicugnanotices. These adorable animals are the smallest of the New World camelids, and their fur is the most precious. So precious, that at one time it sold for $1000 a kilo causing
US Person outrageously impractical dreams of opening a vicuna ranch in New Zealand with imported vicuña stock. About 5,000 vicuñas now live in the Pampa Galeras National Reserve alone. Throughout the Andes, about 200,000 still roam the wild. This abundance was not always the case. In the 60s only 5,000 lived in the entire country of Peru. Vicuñas were hunted for their meat and their incredibly soft and warm fur. The reserve was created to protect the remaining animals.
The insurgency fought by the Maoist group, Shinning Path, against the Peruvian government between 1980 and 1994 took a heavy toll on vicuñas and humans living in the Lucanas region. In 1988 employees of Peru's third oldest reserve were evacuated and the main base shut.; When rangers were able to return, only half the vicuñas remained in the reserve. Besides the dedication of the rangers to the vicuña's protection, a significant contributor to conservation success is the involvement of the local people who are allowed to harvest the valuable fur. Every year in the summer they conduct the traditional
chaco, or round-up in which 500 vicuña are captured. Only about 150 animals are selected for shearing because its takes two years for an animal to regrow its fine coat. The fur is highly prized in the garment industry for its extreme softness and insulation qualities. An Italian company that buys the CITIES-certified fur from the Lucanans can sell a bag of vicuña fur for $15,213. The fur industry employs about 200 local people.
Lucanas anxious;y awaits the "green seal" from National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP), which indicates their product is sustainable. The award signifies that the community is a green conservation ally. Incidentally the seal will allow the community to charge $100 more per kilo for their processed fur. Now that poaching has been substantially eliminated, there are other threats to the vicuñas continued survival. Every month, at least three vicuñas are killed crossing the Interoceanic Highway searching for water. So the community plans to establish more water sources to reduce crossings. Rangers ensure young and sick ones are cared for and reintroduced to a herd. Vicuñas travel in small herds led by a male to protect themselves from their main natural predator, pumas; isolated individuals are vulnerable. Because of their mutually beneficial interaction with humans, Peru's national animal living in Pampas Galeras has a bright future.
The insurgency fought by the Maoist group, Shinning Path, against the Peruvian government between 1980 and 1994 took a heavy toll on vicuñas and humans living in the Lucanas region. In 1988 employees of Peru's third oldest reserve were evacuated and the main base shut.; When rangers were able to return, only half the vicuñas remained in the reserve. Besides the dedication of the rangers to the vicuña's protection, a significant contributor to conservation success is the involvement of the local people who are allowed to harvest the valuable fur. Every year in the summer they conduct the traditional chaco, or round-up in which 500 vicuña are captured. Only about 150 animals are selected for shearing because its takes two years for an animal to regrow its fine coat. The fur is highly prized in the garment industry for its extreme softness and insulation qualities. An Italian company that buys the CITIES-certified fur from the Lucanans can sell a bag of vicuña fur for $15,213. The fur industry employs about 200 local people.