To mark the occasion, the zoo has launched a naming competition. This year, all baby animals born at the Warsaw Zoo are receiving names that begin with the letter R.
The newborn is healthy, closely follows its mother, and is slowly gaining confidence among older members of the herd, the zoo said.
Keepers added they are delighted with the birth, the latest of several this year.
“The vicuña is a species best known in South America and we’re very happy about another birth here in Warsaw this year,” caretakers wrote in a statement.
Vicuñas are well adapted to life in the high altitudes of the Andes mountains, where they graze on mountain grasses. To obtain essential minerals, they drink salty water and lick limestone rocks.
One of their key high-altitude adaptations is a large heart, about 50 percent larger than that of other animals their size, allowing them to thrive in low-oxygen environments.
In the wild, vicuñas live in harem-style family groups of up to 19 animals, typically led by one male and including several females and their young.
Although vicuñas were once threatened with extinction, conservation efforts have led to a significant recovery. Their population has grown from just 6,000 in the 1960s to over 350,000 today.
Vicuña wool is among the finest in the world. However, harvesting it has often required killing the animal. A kilogram of wool can sell for up to 300 dollars, though each animal produces only about half a kilogram per year.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP