Reese Erlich reports on the rise in vicuna poaching in the high plains of the Peruvian Andes. The animal's hair is used to make some of the finest and most expensive wool garments in the world, and the animal is closely protected by the Peruvian government.
MADELEINE BRAND, host: This is DAY TO DAY from NPR News.  I'm Madeleine Brand.</s>MADELEINE BRAND, host: In Peru, there's an animal in the high plains of the Andes called the      vicuna. It's sort of like a llama but even softer.  It produces some of      the finest wool in the world.  A vicuna coat can cost $10,000 or more.      Vicunas were almost hunted into extinction until the Peruvian government      cracked down on poaching nearly 10 years ago, but the poaching is back.      Independent producer Reese Erlich reports.</s>REESE ERLICH reporting: Here in an open field at 12,000 feet in Peru's high plains, it took a      half-hour walk to spot a herd of wild vicuna.</s>ERLICH: The deerlike animals have elongated necks and white, furry      chests, but these close relatives of the alpaca and llama quickly      scampered off, wary of human contact.  We head back to a village where      residents are living from these elusive animals.</s>Unidentified Singer: (Singing in foreign language)</s>ERLICH: It's market day here in Tupala, a small village some five miles      southeast of Lima.  Once a year, residents here herd the vicunas into      corrals and shave their wool.  Until the mid-1990s, poachers would shoot      the vicunas rather than go through the laborious herding process.  Adam      Cruz(ph), a supervisor with CONACS, the Peruvian government agency      protecting vicunas, says the government crackdown on poaching with a new      law.</s>Mr. ADAM CRUZ (CONACS): (Through Translator) Before 1996, there was      indiscriminate killing of vicunas, but after that, community security      guards were formed.  Villages formed their own self-defense      organizations.  This all helped reduce the amount of poaching.</s>ERLICH: The law mandates that vicunas can only be sheared by local      communities.  Indigenous amaras here sell the fiber for $200 a pound, a      huge amount of money for these impoverished villagers, but those prices      also attract poachers.  Wilder Trejo, president of CONACS, says poaching      has steadily increased since 2003, the result of worsening poverty.  The      latest figures indicate 600 vicunas were killed out of a total population      of 161,000.</s>Mr. WILDER TREJO (President, CONACS): (Through Translator) Some villages      aren't able to round up enough vicuna.  They can't earn enough money.      For this reason, some turn to poaching.</s>ERLICH: And the poachers are better armed than 10 years ago, says      Eulario Mayta, president of a local vicuna villagers association.</s>Mr. EULARIO MAYTA: (Through Translator) Years ago, the poachers used      telescopic sights.  The poachers are local people.  They're not      foreigners. We suspect some people, but it's hard to catch them.</s>ERLICH: The poachers kill the vicuna, strip off the skin, leave the      carcasses and sell the fiber on the black market in Peru or in nearby      Bolivia.  CONACS' President Trejo says the upper echelons of the      smugglers are very sophisticated.</s>Mr. WILDER TREJO (President, CONACS): (Through Translator) It's similar to the organization of drug      traffickers.  Every dead vicuna is worth almost a hundred dollars.  This      Mafia is very organized.  They move everything to the border with      Bolivia.</s>ERLICH: In Tupala Village, a sudden rain storm drives people temporarily      indoors.  CONACS supervisor Cruz says that the justice system doesn't      really deter poachers.  He says while the law calls for jail sentences of      up to 10 years, poachers rarely serve any time.</s>Mr. ADAM CRUZ (CONACS): (Through Translator) In reality, like with the rest of the      government, the law is not effective in the poorest communities.  When      someone is caught or someone is charged, they are released from the      police stations either through bribes or outside influence.</s>ERLICH: Vicuna association President Mayta says local villages are in      the best position to stop poaching because they have a community interest      in maintaining the vicuna herds.</s>Mr. EULARIO MAYTA: (Through Translator) In order to stop the poaching, we need      better arms for our security committees.  We need binoculars in order to      identify the poachers.  We need good vehicles to go after them.</s>ERLICH: Mayta says a combination of better local security and community      pressure should significantly reduce poaching.  That's how the herds were      repopulated in the 1990s, and he's confident Peru can do it again.  For      NPR News, I'm Reese Erlich.