The El Cañi nature reserve, located near Pucón and &Beyond Vira Vira, is a small mountain range which houses many of the wildlife species found in this area such as the Güiña wild cat (Leopardus guigna), el Pudú (Pudu puda), Andean fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) and many other species of endemic birds and small mammals.
The Güiña wildcat (Leopardus guigna) is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. This wildcat plays a crucial role as a mesopredator in maintaining the ecological balance of the temperate rainforest ecosystem. However, its population is threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation and land-use change, persecution due to misconceptions among rural communities, fragmentation of populations by infrastructure development and lack of updated ecological data on population distribution and behavior.
Through the installation of 10 strategically placed camera traps in the El Cañi nature reserve, we can collect data on its population status, distribution and activity patterns