Foto: Eduardo Hernández para Rewilding Chile
Rare Andean deer found in an unexplored pocket of Patagonia
A recent expedition led by Rewilding Chile has encountered a new subpopulation of huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) at the southern tip of South America in the future Cape Froward National Park. The discovery offers hope for the highly endangered species on the brink of extinction, which lost 99% of its population to hunting and habitat loss.
At the southern tip of South America, a team of conservationists from Rewilding Chile has confirmed the presence of a new subpopulation of ten huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus), also known as South Andean deer, in the remote region of Cape Froward along the Strait of Magellan. The finding, made during a helicopter expedition to inaccessible mountain terrain, sheds new light on the distribution of this emblematic and highly endangered species with fewer than 1500 individuals left in Chile and Argentina.
Expedition leader Cristián Saucedo, Wildlife Director at Rewilding Chile, was surprised by the discovery. “Finding viable populations in new areas strengthens the case for large-scale conservation corridors and gives the species a better chance to survive”.
The huemul is one of the most endangered large mammals in South America and among 20 species deemed crucial to restoring key ecoregions of the planet, according to the scientific journal Ecography. Once widespread throughout Patagonia, today it survives in small, isolated groups and is considered a priority species for conservation throughout the continent.
The resident group appears to be thriving, thanks in part to the rugged geography of Cape Froward, which served as an inadvertent refuge. “The fact that there are still pristine, roadless places like this one is what allows species like the huemul to persist, “ according to Saucedo, “but isolation alone is not enough. We now have a unique opportunity to turn this area into a formally protected national park that ensures its long-term preservation.”
In 2024, the Chilean government signed a protocol to create a 300,000-acre national park at Cape Froward, aided by the donation of 231,000 acres by Rewilding Chile and Tompkins Conservation.
“Finding viable populations in new areas strengthens the case for large-scale conservation corridors and gives the species a better chance to survive”
The huemul discovery also reinforces Cape Froward’s potential as a stronghold for biodiversity facing climate stressors. Its vast, intact ecosystems include carbon-storing peatlands, temperate forest, and a rich mosaic of marine and terrestrial habitats.
To learn more about the endangered huemul deer, its threats, and the huemul wildlife corridor, check out Rewilding Chile’s ESRI story map which won the community choice award in 2025.