Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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The Huemul Deer of Patagonia Posted: 17 Apr 2010 08:23 AM PDT Chris and I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Patagonia in Southern Chile. (this picture is from a previous camping trip, but it works here, too; Chris is the one being carried, just so you know) We went there to trek the Aysen Glacier Trail with an adventure travel outfit owned by the son of some friends of ours, here in New Mexico. It was a wonderful experience and we were lucky enough to spot a group of highly endangered Huemul deer. Despite gracing the official seal of Chile there are only a few thousand Huemul left and fewer than three percent of the Chilean population has ever seen one in the wild.  Guess we were lucky on that front, but we did have to hike three days into one of the most remote places on earth and cross the Neff Glacier to get to some prime Huemul habitat. The Huemul we saw were incredibly unconcerned about our presence. We walked to within about fifty feet of them and they hardly paid us any attention at all. That's one reason they are endangered, according to an expert on the subject we met on our trip. They are so trusting of people that they fall easy prey to "hunters". Not much sport there.   Their main natural predator is the Puma, known more commonly to us gringos as the Mountain Lion. More commonly Pumas will eat one of the native camelid species known as the Guanaco. They also eat a fair amount of the sheep and lambs raised by the indigenous farmers and ranchers. One farmer we met employs several large dogs to guard his flocks day and night. He reports only an occasional loss to the Puma.   Help is on the way for the Huemul. A group known as Conservation Patagonia is helping the Chilean government establish a large reserve near the area we Trekked. And the Aysen Glacier trail runs through one Chilean National Park and is protected on both sides by ranches owned by Jonathan Leidich, our guide to the AGT and the son of our friends.   These two areas should give the Huemul some breathing room and Conservation Patagonia is actively seeking to purchase ranches that would connect these two safe harbors.

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