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Save the Wild Chinchillas. Visit Wild Chinchillas Inc. Today!!
Where did the wild chinchillas come from? Well, it all started with an American named M.F Chapman. He’s the man we have to thank for bringing our little bundles of joy to our homes. Chinchillas are also known as rabbit mice and are related to guinea pigs, mice, rats, squirrels, beavers, porcupines, and agoutis. Chinchillas are classified into to species, C. Lanigera (long-tailed) and C. Brevicaudata (short-tailed), and three subspecies: Short-tailed chinchillas, King chinchillas, and small short-tailed chinchillas.
Living in his home in Chile, he brought 12 wild chinchillas to California. One of them died and two babies were born. It is thought to be said that our chinchillas are descendents of Chapman’s chinchillas.
Wild chinchillas can be found in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Before, you can see about one hundred chinchillas a day, but by the late 1800’s, about 500,000 Chinchilla skins were exported from Chile alone! The wild chinchilla is an endangered species. Chinchilleros, who are people who hunt and trap wild chinchillas for their fur, are killing the chinchillas faster than the animal can reproduce. Chinchilleros put explosives and other things to drive chinchillas out of their homes. The chinchillas who do make it out alive won’t have a place to hide from their natural predators like foxes and birds of prey.
Over the last ten years, the chinchilla population has declined 80%. People use the chinchillas to make coats, scarves, and even blankets. It takes 100 chinchillas to make one full-length coat. That’s real sad knowing how many chinchilla coats already made. Chinchilla fur is the most rare and most expensive type of fur in the world today. Although Chile has passed a law about trapping chins, chinchilleros still continue to trap them because of the high demand for chinchilla fur. Sadly, without our funds and conservation efforts, the wild chinchilla will be extinct in the near future. Because these guys are endangered, a permit is required to import and export them. You are probably wondering what you can do to help. It’s really simple. To help the wild chinchillas out you can educate your friends, family, and neighbors about chinchillas and their situation. Not everyone knows what chinchillas are, so if we spread the word, everyone will and can help. Number two, you can donate money to chinchilla conservation efforts. These people buy land to create chinchilla reserves. Number three, you can promote studies. Talk to all your friends in school and try to learn as much as you can about the wild chinchilla and last but not least, you can tell people not to buy products made from animals. When the manufacturers see that no one is buying their animal products, they won’t make anymore and that’s one step to saving animals, especially chinchillas. Humans are hunting and trapping the animal for its fur faster than the animal could reproduce. Chins only have two litters a year and each litter may have one to two kits. We must save the species before its too late. We did this mess and now we must fix it. People are making shoes, bedspreads, purses, and other items you don't need to live with. There are a lot fake fur look- a-likes, but everyone now wants the "real thing". I mean what difference does it make? Why would someone want a chinchilla bedspread? Maybe they want to keep warm at night. They could just get another blanket. Well if your cold at night put another blanket on. If you can't afford another blanket, then why in the world do you have a chinchilla blanket? People need to think before they act. There are many other items people can use to satisfy their needs without using fur.
I hope I knocked some sense into your head. These guys are going to die without OUR help. If we don’t do something today they could die tomorrow and when they do die, everyone will regret it. |
