During the 2013 chaccu (round-up) season (May 15 - November 15), the Region of Ayacucho in Peru produced 3,400kgs of vicuña fibre - an all time record.
“To organise a total of 238 chaccus throughout the region during this last season is an immense achievement,” said Ismael Oscco, regional director for agriculture in Ayacucho. “Each chaccu has to be sanctioned by a legal resolution which takes time and effort to prepare.
“The local communities involved in rounding-up the animals and shearing them were the prime beneficiaries, with an average market price of US$500.00/kg for the fibre produced.”
The total vicuña population of Ayacucho is around 50,000. This year a problem of excessive numbers in the Lucanas province of the Pampas Galeras National Reserve was discovered, where there was insufficient pasture to support the numbers of vicuñas grazing there.
As a result, a significant percentage of animals were found to be sick and under nourished.
Oscco has requested that the Agriculture and Environment Ministries grant permission for these animals to be relocated to an area in the north of the region where grasses are in abundance.
On a negative note, it was reported that, during the last days of December in Pilpichaca in the neighbouring Region of Huancavelica, an unknown group of hunters killed 93 vicuñas and escaped with their fleeces.
The fibre obtainable from these fleeces is estimated to total 18kgs with an overall value of around US$ 5,000.00.