Vikuina expanding

1987/08/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ekologia

Vikuina, a small distant cousin of the lama, was disappearing a few years ago due to the excessive hunting of Indians and leather dealers. Sixteen years ago only 8,000 bikuines remained. The Peruvian government opened a strict ban on hunting throughout the town.

At the same time, the World Wildlife Fund launched an animal conservation operation. The main objective was to change certain Indian customs. In keeping with the Inca tradition, the Indians killed the vikuinas, rather than just cutting their hair.

The operation has been a success and currently it is estimated that there are 120,000 bikuins.