Guanaco Herding
Antonella Panebianco
Promote sustainable use of wild guanaco populations through demonstrative experiences of live shearing in La Payunia.
Pre-Shearing Corrals
Antonella Panebianco
Cooperativa Payun Matru members
Antonella Panebianco
sheared guanaco
antonella Panebianco
Inclusive and sustainable Payunia (PA.IS)
Cooperativa Payun Matru
Payun Matru Spinning Mill
cooperativa Payun Matru
Payun Matru Spinning Mill
Cooperativa Payun Matru
Payunia Management zone
Pablo Gregorio
Physiological Indicators
Ramiro Ovejero
Guanaco Wool fleece
Ramiro Ovejero
Ecological Indicators
Ramiro Ovejero
Guanaco wool sheared in one afternoon
Ramiro Ovejero
Pre-Shearing Corrals
Ramiro Ovejero
Guanaco Realease
Ramiro Ovejero
The annual shearing of guanacos by the Payún Matrú Cooperative is being closely supervised by the Mendoza Department of Renewable Natural Resources to ensure that the potential economic income provided by guanaco wool is feasible and sustainable. At the same time, Cooperative members understand that by making "good practices" they receive "good benefits". CONICET has tested and developed methods for minimizing the stress of individual guanacos during capture and handling, that reduce negative impacts at the population level. Our knowledge of ecological, physiological, and behavioral processes that "constrain" these camelids in La Payunia, based on more than 10 years of study, put us in a unique position for advising and teaching the cooperative and government stakeholders how to minimize impacts of live shearing on this population. We will continue training members of Payún Matrú Cooperative in "good practices" to make capture and shearing of wild guanacos within Wildlife Friendly Actions. The following activities will be carried out at this stage:
1)Pre-shearing surveys on population parameters, 2)Training of the personnel (without experience) in charge of guanacos handling during herding, within the corrals, and during shearing is key to the success of the activities. 3)Management of wild guanacos: Capture, shear, and release of wild guanacos will be carried out in two events, between September and November. 4)Physiological indicators: physiological stress in the function of handling conditions.5)Post-shearing surveys on population parameters such as social structure and population density.
-As we are working with wildlife, pre-shearing surveys on population parameters help us to select the best area to build the management structure.
-Training of the personnel is fundamental (and the key for the success of this solution) for the good management of the animals, avoiding guanaco mortalities and operator injuries. The management of wild guanacos is different from any other domestic animal, and it is necessary to use particular structures and tools, as well as to learn specific maneuvers for their manipulation, keeping animal welfare in mind.
-Stress approach give us a key physiological indicator to reduce stress in relation to handling time.
-Post-shearing surveys give us key population parameters such as social structure and population allow us to compared with data before the live-shearing experience and define the impact on social disruption.