Peccaries vanished from Uruguay. A 17-year effort brought them back
After disappearing from Uruguay in the late 1800s, the collared peccary has been successfully reintroduced through a 17-year conservation effort. Researchers are now observing signs of a self-sustaining population in the wild.
Why it matters
This demonstrates the potential for ecological restoration and the recovery of locally extinct species through managed conservation programs.
For more than 100 years, Uruguay’s grasslands and river forests were missing a native mammal that once moved through the country in social herds. That animal was the collared peccary, a compact, bristly species that disappeared locally in the late 1800s and is now being brought back through a long and carefully managed reintroduction effort.The comeback is still being watched closely, but the early signs are encouraging. Camera traps have captured peccaries in the wild, researchers have found tracks and other field evidence, and young animals born after release suggest the species is beginning to establish itself again, according to EcoNews.A species that disappeared locallyThe collared peccary, known scientifically as Pecari tajacu, was never extinct worldwide.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in