Rare Andean Deer Found in an Unexplored Pocket of Patagonia
July 10, 2025
A recent expedition led by Rewilding Chile has encountered a new subpopulation of huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) at the southern tip of South America in the future Cape Froward National Park. The discovery offers hope for the highly endangered species on the brink of extinction, which lost 99% of its population to hunting and habitat loss. © Eduardo Hernandez, Rewilding Chile
At the southern tip of South America, a team of conservationists from Rewilding Chile has confirmed the presence of a new subpopulation of ten huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus), also known as South Andean deer, in the remote region of Cape Froward along the Strait of Magellan. The finding, made during a helicopter expedition to inaccessible mountain terrain, sheds new light on the distribution of this emblematic and highly endangered species, with fewer than 1,500 individuals left in Chile and Argentina.
Expedition leader Cristián Saucedo, Wildlife Director at Rewilding Chile, was surprised by the discovery. “Finding viable populations in new areas strengthens the case for large-scale conservation corridors and gives the species a better chance to survive.”
The huemul is one of the most endangered large mammals in South America and among 20 species deemed crucial to restoring key ecoregions of the planet, according to the scientific journal Ecography. Once widespread throughout Patagonia, today it survives in small, isolated groups and is considered a priority species for conservation throughout the continent.
Huemul deer © Eduardo Hernandez, Rewilding Chile
The resident group appears to be thriving, thanks in part to the rugged geography of Cape Froward, which served as an inadvertent refuge. “The fact that there are still pristine, roadless places like this one is what allows species like the huemul to persist,” according to Saucedo, “but isolation alone is not enough. We now have a unique opportunity to turn this area into a formally protected national park that ensures its long-term preservation.” In 2024, the Chilean government signed a protocol to create a 300,000-acre national park at Cape Froward, aided by the donation of 231,000 acres by Rewilding Chile and Tompkins Conservation.
The huemul discovery also reinforces Cape Froward’s potential as a stronghold for biodiversity facing climate stressors. Its vast, intact ecosystems include carbon-storing peatlands, temperate forest, and a rich mosaic of marine and terrestrial habitats.
To learn more about the endangered huemul deer, its threats, and the huemul wildlife corridor, check out Rewilding Chile’s ESRI story map, which won the community choice award in 2025.
You can also learn more here in this October 2025 update.
A driving force to curb the worldwide climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis, Tompkins Conservation protects, rewilds, and defends land and marine ecosystems in the Southern Cone through collaborating to create national parks and rewilding key species. Working with public and private partners, the organization has helped to create 13 national parks, protecting 14.5 million acres. The goal is to restore a healthy planet with big, wild, and connected landscapes where animals and plants can thrive. This also means helping to build robust communities that benefit from a healthy natural world.
Kristine McDivitt Tompkins and Douglas Tompkins (1943-2015) founded Tompkins Conservation after leading iconic American clothing brands—Kristine as longtime CEO of Patagonia Inc, and Doug as co-founder of The North Face and Esprit. Changing course in the early 1990s to focus on conservation, they became two of the most successful conservation philanthropists in history. After Doug lost his life in a tragic kayaking accident in 2015, Kristine has continued to build on their foundation. She is now the president of Tompkins Conservation and a UN Environment Patron of Protected Areas.
A 501(c)(3) public charity, Tompkins Conservation carries out conservation projects through the nonprofit network of Rewilding Chile and Rewilding Argentina.