PRELIMINARY RECORDS OF DOMESTIC CAMELIDS IN THE SOUTH OF CHILE

An increased interest in breeding Southamerican Domestic Camelids (SDC) in Southern Chile (37 degrees to 42 degrees S) has been observed in the past few years. Little is known about llama and alpaca flocks and their productive and reproductive behaviour. The objective of the research was to collected information about these camelids and their production and reproductive efficiency. Through visits and interviews, 14 camelid flocks (around 600 animals) located in 5 provinces of the south of Chile were analyzed. From the data collected it is possible to deduce that SDC adapt well in the zone, with high production and reproduction levels compared with flock indexes of the Altiplanic region.