Original article: El choyke vuelve a correr libre: 39 ñandúes regresan a la estepa para recuperar su población en la Patagonia chilena In the vast steppes of Patagonia National Park, located in the Aysén region, the choyke has returned to roam freely. Choyke is the Mapuche term for the ñandú, a large running bird native to these steppes. Its presence is integral to both the natural history of the area and the cultural memory of the indigenous peoples.

During March and April, 39 ñandús were released as part of the Ñandú Conservation and Recovery Program, spearheaded by Rewilding Chile Foundation in collaboration with CONAF, SAG, and support from the Chilean Carabineros and Army. This event is significant because the ñandú, scientifically known as Rhea pennata, is endangered in Aysén. Therefore, each release is more than a beautiful sight of birds returning to the steppes; it’s a crucial effort to rebuild a population that has dwindled due to various threats.

This effort requires time, monitoring, and protection to firmly re-establish their presence in the area. “To date, we have released over 230 individuals. We’ve spent more than a decade working to restore and strengthen the ñandú population in this region, which has faced several challenges leading to its decline,” explained Alejandra Saavedra, coordinator of the Ñandú Program at Rewilding Chile.

Ñandú Conservation in Chilean Patagonia: A Decade of Dedication The program started in 2014 when the Chacabuco Valley transitioned from a cattle ranching past to its current status as a national park. Since then, the conservation of the ñandú in Chilean Patagonia has become a long-term task: to breed, release, monitor, and better understand how this species interacts with its steppe environment. Results are beginning to show.

Emiliana Retamal, a wildlife officer in the Ñandú Program at Rewilding Chile, recalled that initially, there were very few individuals in the area. “At the beginning of the program, there were 20 to 14 animals in the park. Today, in a recent count, we recorded about 70 animals.

This is a very good number for us,” she noted. Simply put, where there were once only a few isolated ñandús, there is now a more visible population with better chances of sustaining itself. There is still much work ahead, but progress shows that patience and community-based conservation can alter a narrative that seemed daunting.

A Release that Inspires Communities The event also had a deeply human component. Residents from Chile Chico, Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez, Villa Cerro Castillo, and Cochrane participated in the releases. Some individuals traveled up to 340 kilometers to be part of the experience, as reported by Austerra Society.

“I had the incredible opportunity to be there at the very moment, opening the transportation crate,” recounted Vinskovita Jorquera, one of 15 people who journeyed from Chile Chico. “Fortunately, it was drizzling, which helped hide the tears rolling down my face. ” This scene encapsulates a vital point: conservation is not only found in technical reports or institutional plans.

It is also a community experience. When a species returns to its rightful place, it mends the relationship between people, the land, and wildlife. Below, you can view the audiovisual record by Rewilding Chile Foundation, featuring testimonials from the team and moments from the ñandú releases at Patagonia National Park.

View this post on Instagram Learning Across Borders This year also marked an international milestone for the program. For the first time, experts from the Peruvian National Forest and Wildlife Service, Serfor, participated, focusing on the protection of the suri, a critically endangered subspecies of the ñandú in Peru. Martín Zambrano, head of the Mariscal Nieto office of Serfor, shared with Austerra Society about the exchange: “We do not want to reinvent the wheel.

There is significant ongoing work in the areas of release and breeding, and we believe that this is the ideal way to boost suri populations in southern Peru. ” The Chilean experience not only aids in the recovery of the ñandú in Aysén, but can also serve as a valuable lesson for other areas where closely related species face similar threats. “La Argentina”: The Ñandú Paving New Paths Post-release, the work is far from over.

The Rewilding Chile team conducts on-site monitoring to understand how the released individuals adapt, what routes they take, and what the species needs to thrive in the steppes. One of the most notable cases is “La Argentina,” a female released last year with a GPS collar. According to Austerra Society, she has traversed over 100,000 hectares, linking the Chacabuco Valley to Paso Zeballos in Argentina and the Jeinimeni region.

This movement raises new questions: Where do the ñandús travel? What environments do they prefer? How do they cross between Chile and Argentina, and what does this tell us about the health of the Patagonian steppe?

The Choyke and Mapuche Heritage The ñandú is also known as choyke. In Mapuche culture, its existence transcends mere wildlife: it is linked to expressions like the choyke purrún, a dance that mimics the bird’s movements and expresses a profound connection between body, territory, and nature. Thus, restoring the choyke is not merely about reviving a species.

It’s about reinstating a presence that is part of the landscape, memory, and cultural life of the south. In times of climate crisis and biodiversity loss, these narratives are vital as they remind us of a simple and urgent truth: conservation is neither a luxury nor a pretty postcard; it’s a concrete way to safeguard the future.