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ARGENTINA:
Saving
Patagonia's Wild Cattle
Marcela
Valente*
BUENOS AIRES, (Tierramérica) - The
wild cattle of the glaciers of
southern Patagonia may be saved from
oblivion by two Argentine scientists
who, for the past 15 years, have been
studying these abandoned animals in a
bid to decipher what could be crucial
genetic information.
There are around 1,500 ”criollo
patagónico” (from the line of
Europe's Bos taurus taurus) surviving
in Bahía Onelli and Peninsula
Avellaneda, to the west of Lake
Argentino, in Santa Cruz province.
Zootechnical engineers Rubén Martínez
and Alejandro Rodríguez have so far
shipped 80 of these bovines -- the
direct descendants of cattle brought
to the Americas by Christopher
Columbus -- to Buenos Aires to conduct
their research.
The experts, from Lomas de Zamora
National University, believe the
criollo patagónico should be
protected as a genetic resource, as
recommended by the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization
(FAO).
The wild cattle wander an area near
the international tourist destination
of the Perito Moreno glacier, which
draws visitors to witness the big
blocks of ice breaking away from the
glacier and falling into Lake
Argentina.
The criollos represent the generations
of heirs of the cattle that a settler
transported by boat across the lake in
1800. In 1937, the Glaciers National
Park was created, and the people
living on the land that is now the
park left their homes and the cattle
behind.
Today, the livestock are blamed for
causing environmental damage to some
50,000 hectares of the park, which
covers an area of 730,000 hectares.
Park ranger Pablo Collavino explained
in a Tierramérica interview that the
criollos feed on the natural
vegetation, including trees such as 'lengas',
coigues, cypress and cinnamon.
”There is also soil erosion caused
by the paths they create,” he said.
The law requires the park managers to
put priority on the survival of native
species, and establishes that
”exotic” species should be
removed, but ”it is utopian to think
of achieving total eradication” of
large populations, said Collavino.
Criollo patagónico experts Martínez
and Rodríguez say the wild cattle
could be genetically valuable because
they have developed the capacity to
survive in extreme conditions. Studies
of the criollo's genetic potential are
now underway.
The glacier cattle do not feed on rich
pastures like their relatives on the
temperate plains of the Argentine
Pampas, far to the north, but instead
eat young trees and lichen. The
criollos wander through forests,
glaciers and mountains, withstanding
temperatures of 10 degrees below zero
Celsius.
Even in this extreme environment, they
produce 50 percent more milk and
leaner meat than the commercially
popular cattle that are raised on the
Pampas, which are the result of cross
breeding with cattle brought from
Britain in the 19th century.
”The beef is leaner and not
necessarily tougher, but is less
succulent,” said Rodríguez, adding
that a wild cow produces six or seven
litres of milk a day, compared to the
four litres of the commercially raised
cow.
However, the two experts are not
focusing on the economic potential of
the Patagonian cattle, but rather the
importance of preserving their genetic
information, as is done for other
plant and animal species whose
potential remains unknown.
Preservation of genetic information
can be achieved through maintaining
germplasm, whether criollo patagónico
semen, embryos or live animals.
The ultimate objective of Martínez
and Rodríguez is to create a sperm
bank, but for now they are focused on
protecting the live animals in the
fields of the Lomas de Zamora National
University, in Buenos Aires province,
which also reduces the threat of
further harm to Los Glaciares National
Park.
In 1989, the university signed an
agreement with the National Parks
Administration to allow the experts to
capture the wild cattle and transport
them to Buenos Aires. But it has not
been an easy task.
The criollos live in an area that is
difficult to reach. Local residents
are hired follow the animals for
several days to coordinate the
capture. Then the cattle are shipped,
first by boat, then by land in a
two-day journey to the university,
Rodríguez told Tierramérica.
”The boat trip across the lake costs
800 pesos (280 dollars) a day and each
cage to transport 30 animals by truck
costs 5,000 pesos (1,750 dollars),”
he said.
And then there is no guarantee that
all of the animals will survive the
stress of the trip. ”The last time
we captured 60 cattle, and only 40
made it.”
Rodríguez and Martínez are now
seeking support to bring 100 more head
to the university, thus achieving the
minimum population recommended by the
FAO to ensure the conservation of this
unique breed.
* Marcela Valente is an IPS
correspondent. Originally published
Oct. 11 by Latin American newspapers
that are part of the Tierramérica
network. Tierramérica is a
specialised news service produced by
IPS with the backing of the United
Nations Development Programme and the
United Nations Environment Programme.
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