Description
These majestic vicuñas graze on the vast plateaus of the ‘Reserva Nacional Pampa Galeras Bárbara D’Achille’ in the Ayacucho region of Peru. The road from Nazca to Abancay runs straight through the reserve, which lies at an extreme altitude of over 4,100 metres. It was established in 1967 and successfully saved the species from extinction caused by poaching. Today, an estimated 17,000 animals live in the wild across the plateau. – Vicuña wool is considered the most expensive and exclusive legal wool in the world. The Incas reverently called the animals’ fine fleece ‘the gold of the gods’. The fibre has a diameter of 8 to 13 micrometres. This makes it significantly finer than cashmere (approx. 15–19 micrometres) and about eight times thinner than a human hair. – Peru – 1972
