Detection of Güiñas, Chingues, Quiques, Culpeo and Chilla foxes, and other species with a scarce and limited presence in the area, evidenced a wide richness and diversity of species in the dry interior and coastal area of the O’Higgins region.
The research, lasting more than a year, was carried out by the Wildlife Unit of the Agricultural and Livestock Service of the O’Higgins Region, in conjunction with the University of O’Higgins and the University of Los Lagos, and had the objective of determining which species of our native fauna, mainly carnivores, occupy, develop their life cycle and generate an ecosystem contribution in the different ecotypes of our coastal mountain range.
For these purposes, a set of 30 camera traps was set up in the 3 main landscapes that occur in this area: Coastal sclerophyllous forest, Coastal thorny scrub and forestry monoculture plantations. These devices provided relevant information about the life of the fauna present in these territories, without intervening with their habits or behavior, since they are equipped with a motion sensor that photographs any species that passes in front of them.
“One of the outstanding findings has been to actively detect species that maintain scarce populations and that are very difficult to see directly, such as the Güiña or the Chingue, which demonstrate an important association of their populations with native forests and scrub. of the coastal mountain range, constituting this territory an important conservation reservoir for these species of native carnivores of high biological value,” said Eric Guital, Regional Director of the Agricultural and Livestock Service. “Likewise, the populations of Zorro Culpeo and Zorro Chilla demonstrated to maintain stable populations in said territory, being great controllers of introduced species considered harmful to the national territory, such as rabbits and hares,” said the professional.
In relation to the selection of ecotypes by the fauna, the study has shown that the diversity of species in the 3 types of landscapes is similar, found Guiña (Leopard cub), Chingue (Conepatus chinga), Quique (Galictis whose), Andean fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) and Screeching Fox (Lycalopex griseus), however, the abundance of these by species would demonstrate that although the Zorro does not have a predilection for ecotype, both the Guiña, the Chingue and the Quique do have a significantly greater abundance in the native forests compared to the monoculture forest.
The study, led by Diego Ramírez Álvarez, coordinator of the SAG O’Higgins Wildlife Unit, also demonstrated that there is a normal reproductive activity that is allowing viable populations of these native mammals in the three areas analyzed, where Both adults and babies of all species could be photographed.
A serious problem detected in the investigation was the high level of contagion of mange in native foxes, transmitted by freely roaming dogs that also circulate through these areas, leaving their ectoparasites in the place, which then affect the native fauna. Many of the foxes detected and photographed by the camera traps presented serious skin lesions, attributed to sarcoptic mange, a disease that ultimately leads to their death, and which continues to circulate and infect other wild animals. On their way to review the cameras, the team of researchers found at least 3 corpses of foxes killed by this cause, with serious and disabling injuries throughout their bodies. In this regard, the SAG is emphatic in asking citizens to keep their dogs and cats restricted to their domestic environment, and not allow them to move freely to wild places, since apart from these ectoparasites, they also carry viruses and bacteria that end up affecting to wildlife, with mortality and decline or even extinction of their local populations.
The results of the study have been published in the international scientific journal Conservation, thus highlighting the importance of the native fauna of our region and our Coastal mountain range. Likewise, the information collected will allow the State institutions in charge of biodiversity conservation to analyze and reorient their work strategies at the macro level of the landscape.
You can find the complete study on the web under the following reference: Ramírez-Álvarez, D., Napolitano, C., Arriagada, G., Salgado, I., Cox, S. & Céspedes-Parada, B. 2023. Native Carnivore Diversity and Relative Abundance in Landscapes of the Coast Range in Central Chile: Insights for Conservation Decision-Making. Conservation 3: 379-393. https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation3030026
Or at the following link:
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