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VICUÑA
The finest wool in the world
WITHIN THE HIGHLANDS OF THE RUGGED ANDES ROAM A VARIETY OF CAMELIDS. NEXT TO THE HAUGHTY LLAMAS AND WOOLY ALPACAS, CANTERS THE VICUNA. REGAL IN APPEARANCE WITH ITS TAWNY COLORED COAT OF HAIR, UNIQUE IN ITS FINENESS, THIS MAGNIFICENT YET TIMID SPECIES CANNOT BE APPROACHED EASILY. ITS ACUTE SENSE OF HEARING INSTANTLY AROUSES ITS SUSPICIONS WHICH WILL CAUSE IT TO HASTILY RUN AWAY.
“CHACCU”
A MILLENARY TRADITION
THE WILD ANIMALS ARE SHORN ALIVE DURING A CEREMONY CALLED “CHACCU” WHICH IS STEEPED IN THE LEGEND AND TRADITION HANDED DOWN BY THE ANCESTORS
This consisted in forming a great human chain of people carrying small colored flags and emitting chants, encircling herds of vicunas until they were hemmed into a circle and enclosed in a pen; here they would be sheared without being caused any harm. Once the fleece possessing the warmth and golden glimmer of the sun´s rays was obtained, the participants thanked the Inti (Sun), and the vicunas were set free again. The practice of this millenary method is still happening today, and it has prevented the extinction of such a precious species.
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