The Vicuña is one of the most unique animals in South America. If you aren’t familiar with the Vicuña, think of a small, elegant, and nimble member of the camel family, which is a native of the cold, wind blown high altitude areas of the Andes. The Vicuña is the wild ancestor of the Alpaca, and is known around the world for producing the rarest and the most sought after type of fiber on Earth Vicuña Wool. Many travelers looking to understand the vicuna animal often begin by asking what is a vicuna or what is a vicuña, since the species is so distinct from domesticated camelids.
For ecological and cultural reasons the Vicuna has been protected since the time of the Inca Empire. At that time, injuring a Vicuña was a crime, and garments made from Vicuña wool could only be worn by the nobility. Even today, people do not only admire the vicuña for its beauty but also for the way it demonstrates how Andean communities and their people are able to develop sustainable livelihoods based on their ability to utilize the natural resourcesof the vicuña animal without putting the species at risk of extinction.
