One of the most successful cases of breeding and harvesting wild animals is that of the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna), native to the Andes of South America, prized for its wool. Conservation efforts in Peru and Chile, which have involved the local peasants communities (campesinos), have resulted in a phenomenal resurgence in its population. Vicuna was close to the point of extinction in 1969, with 10,000 animals left. Many vicuna populations have been now downlisted from Schedule I to Schedule II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) in most of these countries, allowing trade in its parts.

Like shahtoosh, the vicuna's wool is extremely fine (about 12 microns in diameter) and has great commercial value. "This high value wool, in a resource poor area, can represent both a threat to the species and an opportunity if the species is managed sustainably,' says the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1969, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador formed the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Vicuna. The signatory governments agreed to conduct comprehensive research in all aspects. The method to shear vicunas were researched. The campesino of Peru ceded 6,500 hectares of their property in return for employment, projects for school construction and reforestation. Ten other communities ceded their properties, increasing the land area to 75,000 hectares. This land was used to establish the first National Reserve, Pampa Galeras, in 1966.

The vicuna belongs to the Camelidae family and is very difficult to breed. Sonam Dawa, advisor to the Ladakh Ecological and Environment Group, has visited South America and is positive about breeding chiru on similar lines. But Helen Leavesley, scientific officer with Care for the Wild International in the UK, says there are differences between the two animals. Her organisation supports a project that tries to ensure the welfare of the vicuna when they are captured and shorn for their fleece. She also mentions that the climate of the chiru's natural habitat is colder than that of the vicuna, the chiru would not survive if its protective coat is removed. She says that a certain degree of mortality due to the stress of capture may occur in the chiru, and such a programme might be inappropriate on a vulnerable species. But nobody knows for sure. There isn't enough research.