Vicunas, the partial ancestor of the alpaca
Here we discuss the vicuna, the wild ancestor (with the help of the guanaco) of the alpaca, a domesticated animal. The vicuna resides in South America, primarily in the Andes. It is an endangered species. It has the finest fiber of any animal in the world.
Vicuna links
- Information about vicunas from Eric Hoffman, of Bonny Doon Alpacas
- Information about the newly instituted
"chacu", or vicuna drives, in Peru, again from
Eric Hoffman of Boony Doon Alpacas.
These drives allow for the harvesting of the extremely valuable vicuna fiber by shearing wild vicunas. In the past, the fiber was taken by killing these unique animals. The ancient Incas used the same "chacu" method to harvest the fiber.