Foto: Marcelo Mascareño
Creating a Huemul Rescue Center in Cerro Castillo National Park
The new project is a combined effort driven by the Intersectoral Commission for Huemuls, composed of CONAF, SAG, and Fundación Rewilding Chile. It’s an unprecedented private-public collaboration in Chile for the recovery of a species. The Huemul Rescue and Rehabilitation Center will be located onsite in the Las Horquetas sector of Cerro Castillo National Park. The center should be up and running by the second half of 2022.
This initiative, which employs a new, multi-sector approach, aims to use collaborative action to support the wellbeing and recovery of the highly endangered huemul deer. It aims to boost the conservation of this rare species which is facing serious illnesses transmitted by livestock.
State of huemul conservation
An estimated 1,500 huemules live in Chile and Argentina, roughly 1% of the species’ historic population. The prevalence of small and fragmented populations makes this highly endangered species especially vulnerable. The huemul is also threatened by poaching, domestic dog attacks, the presence of exotic species (such as deer and wild boar), and domestic livestock that can transmit infectious diseases.
Infectious diseases are the principal challenge that has propelled the urgent creation of the rescue center. According to existing data, between 30-50% of Huemules in the area of Cerro Castillo have been diagnosed with similar symptoms to CL (Caseous Lymphadenitis), a bacterial disease transmitted by livestock. Although infections are already being treated, creating a restricted area for treatment and rehabilitation of individual huemuls that allows the treatment and management of the disease is crucial.
About the center
The center will be built in Las Horquetas, on the property of Rewilding Chile, by the end of 2022. The center will have dedicated areas for rehabilitation and nursing the most critical individual deer.
The center will be run by a professional team consisting of park rangers with experience capturing and transporting huemul deer, and a group of veterinarians who will be in charge of treatments and rehabilitation.