Although this is a common species in the park, park rangers have not seen such behavior for more than 10 years.
During this winter, an unusual behavior of the guanacos of Torres del Paine was observed by park rangers working at Las Torres Patagonia. A group of workers managed to witness this unexpected sighting.
The crew of workers from the NGO AMA Torres del Paine, an organization financed by Las Torres Patagonia, was able to observe a massive herd of these mammals. A fact that, as they explain, had not occurred for at least 10 years.
The guanaco is one of the most common species in Torres del Paine National Park. Tourists can spot these animals in small herds as soon as they begin to approach the entrance to this protected area. They usually move in small groups composed of females, their young and the dominant male.
One of these specimens, in its adult stage, can weigh up to 140 kilos and measure up to 1.90 centimeters, dimensions that make it one of the preferred preys of the park’s top predator: the puma.
Regarding this strange appearance, which caught the attention of the entire team of AMA Torres del Paine park rangers, the leader of Trail Management and Park Rangers, Natali Espinoza, emphasized that this phenomenon reflects the friendly coexistence that can occur with native fauna in a context of sustainable tourism.
“It has been more than 10 years since such a large herd of guanacos was sighted in the reserve,” she said.
The herd could be seen in the sector called Estancia, where the trail that leads to the Refugio Chileno begins, part of the lodging available at Las Torres Patagonia and which connects with the trail to the Base Torres viewpoint.
Espinoza explains that part of the initiatives developed by the NGO is wildlife monitoring, detailing that park ranger crews are constantly monitoring the behavior of different animals present in the reserve, such as the puma, Geoffroy’s cat, red fox and huemul.
“This sighting suggests to us that they may be looking for new foliage. The winter has been very harsh during these months, so surely where they were they no longer offered enough food. Therefore, they moved to an unfamiliar and friendly sector in search of sustenance for the group,” added Espinoza.
The AMA Torres del Paine park ranger emphasized that the reconstruction of trails, such as the one that leads to the Base Torres viewpoint, contributes to the good living of the native fauna. “Part of the correct delimitation of the sectors available for the passage of tourists allows the flora and fauna to develop freely without human intervention, generating healthy and free ecosystems,” she said.
One of the privileged witnesses to the phenomenon was Las Torres Patagonia’s SSO leader, Jordan Oyarzún, who was able to report that at least 27 guanacos made up this massive herd.
“We found them in the middle of the trail that connects Hotel Las Torres (Las Torres Patagonia) with Refugio Chileno. We were very surprised because we ran into them two meters away. They didn’t run, they didn’t get scared, and we didn’t get any closer to them so as not to scare them away,” said Oyarzún.
Finally, the Conservation, Sustainability and Security Manager of Las Torres Patagonia, John Ojeda, emphasized the important significance of this sighting in the area, noting that “the appearance of this herd of guanacos are signs that what we are doing is on the right track, that biodiversity is giving positive signs of our management plan, and that thanks to the work of our park rangers we can monitor the fauna and continue to gather relevant information for scientific research.
The herd of guanacos is in addition to the sighting of Geoffroy’s cat last February, which is regularly captured thanks to the new camera traps installed by the NGO AMA Torres del Paine, which are essential for the study of more elusive species.