Patagonian huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) under captive conditions: An historical overview

• Autores: Vidal, Fernando; Smith Flueck, Jo Anne M.; Fluck, Werner Thomas; Arias, Eduardo
• Año de publicación: 2011
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Hippocamelus bisulcus; captive breeding; ex-situ
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) is a native deer of Patagonia whose endangered status has raised concerns for several decades, and yet conservation efforts to reverse this situation have not succeeded for most populations. Captive breeding projects attempted in the past were short-lived: animals were often lost to poor methodology or unsanitary conditions during capture, transport and captivity, and reintroductions could not be realized. Despite inappropriate capture and transport techniques of the past, a few individuals did make it to captive centers where they managed to survive for several years, with a minimum of 8 births recorded. Regardless of the successes, it is the past failures that impinge upon today’s conservation efforts. In Argentina, a recent financially backed proposal  - establishing a huemul breeding center and including an in-situ reintroduction program - was prevented by the prevailing opinion that captive breeding was neither feasible nor a necessary conservation tool for huemul. In Chile, despite similar hurtles, the Huilo Huilo Foundation was able to get government consent and to establish the only captive breeding project in over 2 decades with the main objective to soon reintroduce individuals into the surrounding private reserve. Here we will present some of the historical accounts to demonstrate the suitability of the species to captivity. Next, we will describe the Chilean semi-captive breeding program, begun in 2005, and report on the capture and transport methods and the site selection, construction design and maintenance procedures of the two centers. The first center has grown from an initial 2 adults to 7 individuals. The second center, which initially served for rehabilitation of an injured male, is awaiting arrival of some females. The success of the current program demonstrates that huemul can do well in captivity, confirming this to be a significant conservation strategy towards the recovery of the species.
Fil: Vidal, Fernando. Fundación Huilo-Huilo; Chile. Universidad Santo Tomás;
Fil: Smith Flueck, Jo Anne M.. Universidad Atlantida Argentina; Argentina
Fil: Fluck, Werner Thomas. Administración de Parques Nacionales. Parque Nacional "Nahuel Huapi"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina
Fil: Arias, Eduardo. Fundación Huilo-Huilo; Chile