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Business Daily: The industry that saved an animal from extinction

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27/09/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - Business Daily, The industry that saved an animal from extinction

How the fleece of endangered vicunas became one of the most valuable wools in the world

We travel to Peru to meet vicunas, the smallest relatives of llamas, and the animals that produce one of the most expensive wools in the world.

You may not be familiar with the vicuna, but in Peru, where it's the national animal, the smallest relative of the llama is revered - particularly for its fine and insulating coat.

In this programme, Stefania Gozzer travels to the Peruvian Andes, to meet the animals that produce one of the most expensive wools in the world. Demand for their coveted fleece once led them near extinction, but now it has become the best tool to preserve them. 

Stefania visits Pampa Galeras, to talk to the scientists that work in the largest natural reserve created to protect vicunas. She learns how farming communities engage in the conservation of this species while making a profit, and hears why the business model that once saved vicunas is now at risk.

Presented and produced by Stefania Gozzer

(Image: A vicuna. Credit: Getty Images)

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