National Geographic: Spitting Mad - Wild Camel of the Andes Page #3

---

by its mother for the whole year.

But despite this protection,

up to 80 percent of the year's

offspring might be taken by pumas.

Separated from its mother,

a chulengo is confused and in danger,

so Bill is anxious to

return it quickly.

In fact, chulengos will readily become

attached to humans

when they're very young.

And only when they see and smell

their mother again

will the bond be retied.

And Bill watches to ensure this

takes place.

To see the two together again

is a heartening moment,

and mother and chulengo

soon rejoin their family group.

Once all are together again,

the dedicated scientific

work of following

each collared chulengo's struggles

can begin.

Summer and winter,

Bill's students take to the hilltops

to check on the whereabouts

of the chulengos.

The receiver distinguishes

between each collared youngster

and also register

if there is lively movement or not.

So a scientist is able to tell

if a chulengo is alive or dead.

If a mortality signal is received,

the body must be found

and the cause of death determined.

This chulengo was killed by a puma,

for the big cats cover their kills

to hide them from scavengers.

The puma will return to eat its meal

under the cover of darkness.

The cats hunt mostly at night,

so evening is the time to wake up.

And with pumas on the prowl,

night is the guanacos' time

of greatest danger.

Do they have a strategy

for staying alive they move house.

Night's aren't entirely friendly

to pumas either.

A mother with cubs may be ambushed

by a male puma

from a neighboring territory,

so she delays leading her cubs

out of the den

until the light is fading,

and will be careful

as she guides them to the kill.

As night falls,

guanacos climb to the tops

of bare hills,

and the strategy makes sense:

There's less cover up here,

which means that even in darkness,

pumas will have difficulty approaching

without being seen.

The mothers will ensure

that their chulengos are close by

and the male will keep watch

from the edge of the family group.

Staying alive at night

is far more perilous than daylight,

for guanacos need moonlight to see,

while pumas have sharp vision,

even on the darkest nights.

But they still take the precaution

of dragging their meal into thick cover.

This is a tough task,

for the guanaco carcass

may outweigh her

by as much as 200 pounds.

But she must struggle on,

for thick cover

provides a safer place

for her cubs to feed.

The family shares the food amicably,

with the youngsters getting first bite.

And once they fill their bellies,

the cubs can indulge

in some late night revelry.

No doubt this play

helps develop muscles

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes