Smithsonian MagazineJul 8, 2025How an Ancestral Peruvian Ceremony Is Saving the Once-Endangered VicuñaEach year in the first weeks of June, Indigenous communities in the Andes form a human chain to corral the camelids and shear their valuable wool8 things in this storyColcaViewpointRural town in the Apurímac Department of PeruVicuñaPlaceBrought back from the brink of extinction, the llama-like animals have attracted the attention of poachers eager to…chaccuFestivalAnnual celebration to herd and shear wild vicuñasPampa Galeras Bárbara D’Achille National ReserveSightNucleus of vicuña conservation effort, founded in 1967Apurímac DepartmentNeighborhoodQuechuaPlaceIncaPlaceSpanishPlaceRead the full piece at Smithsonian Magazine →
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