Back From The Brink

South America's llama, the Vicuna, is back from the brink of extinction.
"The Vicuna has seen a resurgence in its numbers due to the reintroduction of indigenous methods of fleece production," states Professor Iain Gordon.
Vicuna numbers began to drop sharply in the 1960s due to international demand for their high quality fleeces which are the most valuable of any wild animal in the world. Sustainability came from using the same method that has worked for centuries for the indigenous people. Instead of destroying the Vicuna upon capture, or as a result of capture, the people are now practicing the catch and release style. Its very simple: the herders capture the Vicuna, shear it for the fleece and then release it to grow more fleece.
The Vicuna is one of very few success stories of wildlife conservation worldwide.
One area of the world that is having a particularly hard time managing their mammals would definitely be Australia. Australia holds close to half the mammal extinctions of the world for the last 200 years.
South America's local success to an international problem is a lesson in itself for Australia to learn. Sustainability is the key to co-existance.