Rare Albino Guanaco In Argie Reserve 1st Time In Years

Story ByAna LacasaSub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyNewsflash

Credit: Newsflash/@reservanaturalvillavicencio

This is the moment a rare albino guanaco – which are closely related to llamas – is seen in a nature reserve for the first time in three years during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The incident was filmed at the Villavicencio Nature Reserve in the department of Las Heras in the western Argentine province of Mendoza which has remained closed to visitors since March.

In the video, the cute albino guanaco is seen staring at the camera before strolling around the arid area, pausing again and then continuing its walk.

Park rangers were checking the reserve and its grazing animals when they saw the albino guanaco, the first one spotted since 2017.

Credit: Newsflash/@reservanaturalvillavicencio

Park official Silvina Giudici told local media: “We are happy about this sighting as it confirms again the importance of continuing with our conservation work in this unique natural reserve of Villavicencio.”

According to local media, work carried out by park officials and has helped the guanaco population to increase by around 35 percent

Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Its name comes from the Quechua word ‘huanaco’.

The Villavicencio natural reserve, set over 72,000 hectares, has around 256 different species living in the area.

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