The huemul deer are elusive creatures, shying away from humans and difficult to spot. And it's not surprising. Despite their cultural and ecological importance in Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, the huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) have been hunted to brink of extinction and the species, which is endemic to the southern forests of the Andean mountain range, is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is estimated that only 2,000 are left.

 

Conserving them is crucial not only for their own sake, say scientists, but also because they are an umbrella species, meaning that protecting them benefits numerous other species and ecosystems.

 

The good news is that this species has recently been spotted in an area where it had never been seen before: the 133,000-hectare Pucheguin estate, located near Cochamó in Chile's Los Lagos region. The discovery is due to a series of camera traps set up on lands inside the estate by the southern Chilean environmental group Puelo Patagonia in January of this year.

 

Víctor Masías, from the local community, and among the first to review the footage, expressed surprise and satisfaction upon learning of their presence there. "I knew they were here because the elders told me that someone had seen one, but they are very hard to find. Now we have proof that they are here, and that is excellent news.”

The new, unprecedented evidence of the huemul on the vast Pucheguin private property -- some 88 images and videos -- are part of the ongoing work that Puelo Patagonia has been carrying out since 2019 to study and protect this species in the Chilean Puelo region. The images were obtained in high mountain areas characterized by lenga forests, high Andean steppes and rocky terrain. After decades without official sightings, the organization has finally successfully documented the presence of the huemul in the Cochamó district. 

 

Moreover, the Fundo Pucheguín property forms part of a 1.6 million-hectare biological corridor of global importance, adding to the urgency of conserving these lands, says Andrés Diez, executive director of Puelo Patagonia. "This new finding reinforces the urgency of protecting the habitat, not only as the home of this species, but also as part of a unique ecosystem that requires protection,” said Diez.

Between six and eight different huemules, including adult males, a juvenile male, and an adult female, were captured on film by the trap cameras. Fernando Novoa, a researcher with the Puelo Patagonia monitoring program, noted that, although the recorded population was small in number, they all appear to be in good health. "Finding huemuls in this area shows that it is a well-cared-for place, thanks to the lifestyle of its inhabitants who have lived in harmony with species such as the huemul for a long time."

 

The group says the discovery marks the first step toward recognizing the presence of the huemul in this zone, and they are planning to intensify monitoring using camera traps and further develop its joint work with Argentina to study the behavior of this species.

 

Currently, the Puchegüín property, where other endangered species have also been spotted, such as the Patagonian viscacha and the monito del monte, lacks effective legal protection despite its extremely high ecological value. The group warns that this situation leaves it vulnerable to threats such as land subdivision, industrial projects, fires and unregulated tourism. Protecting it would also consolidate one of the largest biological corridors in Latin America, facilitating wildlife movement and connecting fragmented habitats.

 

Puelo Patagonia, together with the international conservation group The Nature Conservancy, two U.S. foundations, the Freyja Foundation and Wyss Foundation, and the eco-conscious outdoor gear company Patagonia, Inc., have been working to purchase the property since April 2024 to turn it into a protected area that safeguards both biodiversity and local ways of life.