A secret population of one of the most endangered animals in South America was just discovered in Chile

A secret population of one of the most endangered animals in South America was just discovered in Chile

A secret population of one of the most endangered animals in South America was just discovered in Chile Chile’s soon-to-open Cape Froward National Park, which borders the Strait of Magellan, is a beautiful expanse that’s home to condors, seals, penguins, and humpback whales.  And now, thanks to a recent wildlife expedition, local experts know that the 300,000-acre national park is also home to another species of animal — one that, until very recently, remained hidden amongst the mountaintops around Cordes Bay and Fortescue.  It’s the elusive huemul deer: A shaggy-coated, short-legged Andean deer with single-branched antlers. The huemul deer is one of the most endangered large mammals in the southern hemisphere, having lost 99% of its population to hunting and habitat loss. When it comes to Cape Froward’s vast acreage, more than 231,000 acres were donated by Rewilding Chile and Tompkins Conservation, organizations that are working hard to protect some of Chilean Patagonia’s most vulnerable …