• Thanks to the use of camera traps and a citizen science program, this sighting helped identify a colony of Patagonian vizcachas in a single area—marking a significant milestone in understanding the range of this elusive and little-studied species.

• The sighting took place within the Puchegüín estate—a 133,000-hectare privately owned property in Cochamó that has been up for sale since 2022. Five national and international organizations are currently working to acquire the land for conservation purposes.

A few days ago, the NGO Puelo Patagonia shared a sighting of a Patagonian Vizcacha (Lagidium wolffsohni), in the Trinidad Valley of Cochamó, showing a scarred face and a missing piece of ear. The image was captured by camera traps installed in December 2024 as part of a participatory wildlife monitoring program led by the NGO Puelo Patagonia, together with the Organización del Valle Cochamó and the Club Andino Cochamó. 

The image drew attention not only because of the visible scars on its body but also because it confirmed the presence of at least four different individuals in the same area. The organization notes that it’s impossible to determine whether the scars resulted from escaping a predator or defending its territory. However, these distinctive marks allowed researchers to identify the individual and confirm that multiple vizcachas inhabit that territory.

This is especially important because the species is classified as “Vulnerable (VU)” under Chilean law and listed as “Data Deficient (DD)” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The habitats where this species lives make it difficult to spot, so Puelo Patagonia emphasizes that this finding is particularly valuable for adding data on its geographic distribution, discovering new populations, and observing its behavior and natural history.

“Since 2018, we have been continuously monitoring various areas within the Puelo and Cochamó watersheds. We know that threats still affect this and other species, such as habitat fragmentation and loss, invasive species, and climate change, among others,” said Andrés Diez, Executive Director of the NGO Puelo Patagonia. “One of the main goals of this study is to gather information that will help us take measures to mitigate these threats,” he added.

This discovery not only expands scientific knowledge about the species but also highlights the ecological value of the area where it was found. 'In Cochamó, a well-known place, this little-known species lives. Through this monitoring program, we are focusing all our efforts on learning more about its natural history in order to implement conservation strategies that protect its ecosystem in the long term,' said Fernando Novoa, wildlife veterinarian and lead researcher of Puelo Patagonia’s monitoring program.

According to the veterinarian, this is good news because, in addition to being social—that is, living in colonies—this species plays an important role as a biological indicator of the ecosystems it inhabits. 

“This rodent, as a herbivorous species, plays a key role in seed dispersal and shaping the vegetation composition of its habitat. Finding it with a wider distribution is good news because it indicates ecological balance in the area,” Novoa explains.

A Key Habitat for the Vizcacha

This discovery took place within the Puchegüín estate, a 133,000-hectare property that represents 30% of the Cochamó municipality and has been on the market since 2022. Through the Conserva Puchegüín initiative, five organizations have been fundraising in Chile and worldwide for the past year to purchase the land with the goal of conserving it. 

According to the initiative, conserving this land will help establish a cross-border biological corridor spanning more than 1.6 million hectares between Chile and Argentina—an essential habitat for species like the Vizcacha. 

According to Puelo Patagonia, the presence of the vizcacha in the area is a sign that optimal conditions for wildlife still exist there. 'We know that the vizcacha has managed to adapt to ecosystems that are increasingly vulnerable. Finding them in groups or colonies indicates that this place is well conserved, which is why protecting it is urgent if we want to ensure their survival and that of other species,' said Novoa.

Learn more about this initiative at www.conservapucheguin.org