Last week in Cerro Castillo National Park, a team of 14 youth volunteered with our strategic partner, @Tompkinsconservationchile and government institutions to remove fences so that the huemul, a rare and iconic species of deer, can freely move between the park and adjacent private protected area, Las Horquetas.
Cristian Saucedo, director of Rewilding at Tompkins Conservation Chile, explains that this milestone “will reduce injuries to huemul in the fences, and will allow huemul to access Las Horquetas, an important wintering area for the species. Achieving the ecological connectivity of the territory is key to the conservation of biodiversity ”.
The Las Horquetas sector was recently acquired by Tompkins Conservation Chile for the conservation of this emblematic species.
With only an estimated 1500 huemul left in the wild in Chile, and the species under threat from habitat loss and fragmentation, disease transmitted by livestock, predation by dogs and illegal hunting, TC Chile collaborates with government institutions to protect the huemul and restore their habitats so that populations can thrive and expand.
Photos and video of fence removal by @jamesalfarog , of huemul by Jeff Foott, Cerro Castillo by @bethjwald
@kristine_tompkins @conaf_minagri @sagchile @injuv @injuvaysen @rutadelosparques #Rewilding #vivaparques #longliveparks #RewildingPatagonia #ClimateCrisis #CerroCastillo #Huemul #NationalPark #Routofparksofpatagonia #patagonia
