South America’s iconic vicuñas facing extinction

The iconic vicuña, a llama-like animal native to South America , is once again staring down the barrel of extinction.

South America’s vicunas under threat once more. Image by Alessandro Caproni / CC BY 2.0

Vicuña are prized for their extremely fine wool which can fetch large sums of money around the world. After being hunted to near-extinction, the last 50 years has seen a revival in the animals’ numbers. However, there is no room for complacency as their numbers are dwindling once more, mainly due to the actions of poachers and hunters.  Read more: scientificamerican.com