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Guanaco Numbers Continue to Dwindle
New Conservation steps needed to protect South America's largest land mammal
 Cabo Dos Bahias Provincial Reserve
Chubut Province, Argentina
An endless sea of olive
green duraznillo and zampa bushes stands before a prime, six - foot tall
male guanaco, one of 500 individuals that call home to this rugged
peninsula along Patagonia's central coast. But according to a team of
scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society working in the area,
hard times are ahead for this largest of South America's land mammals
unless attitudes toward it change. Faced with increased poaching,
persecution by ranchers, and a general indifference by much of the public,
guanaco numbers have declined from 8 million earlier this century, to just
a few hundred thousand animals. In Patagonia, much of the remaining
populations are restricted to isolated pockets found in protected
areas.
"The guanaco is vanishing before our eyes." says Graham Harris, a WCS
researcher and president of Fundacion Patagonia Natural ( FPN ). Less than
ten percent of the historic population remains, and still there is little
change in people's perception toward them.
For decades, Patagonian
ranchers have accused guanacos of causing diseases among livestock. So in
1995, WCS set out to conduct the first ever health surveys of guanacos to
determine if they were causing diseases among sheep. The results,
published in 1997, revealed that study animals from the Cabos Dos Bahias
population were not only disease free, but in fact stood a much greater
chance of catching illnesses from domestic sheep, which carried a host of
ailments.
 "Our study showed clearly that guanaco do not transmit diseases to
sheep and are in fact far more susceptible to livestock diseases than the
other way around, yet the animals are still being persecuted," says Dr.
William Karesh, WCS field veterinarian. Karesh, along with fellow field
veterinarian Dr. Marcela Uhart, identified several individuals that they
had marked in a tagging survey four years ago. All appeared in fine
condition.
Currently, WCS, FPN and others are looking at ways to further educate
landowners and to find commercial uses for guanaco, such as wool
production or sustainably harvesting animals for their meat. At present,
many guanacos fall prey to unregulated hunting where they are used to feed
rancher's dogs, or provide inexpensive meat to local towns.
 Guanacos, members of the camel family can weigh up to 300 pounds and
are known for their thick golden, brown coat. In the wild, they operate
under a complex social structure consisting of family groups made up of a
dominant male, a harem of females, and their young; or bachelor groups of
up to several dozen individuals. Males can often be seen competing for
family groups, butting chests and biting until one retreats.
"They're fascinating
animals and are part of South America's heritage much like the bison is to
North America," says Harris. We still have time to save them, but it's now
or never.
 According to a team of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation
Society working in the area, hard times are ahead for the guanaco, South
America's largest land mammals. Increased poaching, persecution by
ranchers, and general indifference have caused guanaco numbers to decline
to just a few hundred thousand animals.
To find out more about WCS's Field Veterinary Program, click here.
Contact:
Wildlife Conservation Society
Stephen Sautner
ssautner@wcs.org
718-220-5197
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