A colony of endangered chinchillas is holding up a major project by South African gold producer, Gold Fields, in Chile.
Gold Fields is ready to begin development of a mine holding more than three million ounces of gold in northern Chile. However, Gold Fields’s environmental licence depends on the company successfully capturing and relocating a colony of the endangered animals.
Chinchillas are a type of rodent and were hunted almost to extinction, as they were sought after for their thick fur. The animals have the densest pelts of any land mammal. Although chinchillas used to be widespread across Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Argentina, they can now only be found in the wild in Chile.
In December, the Chilean authorities gave Gold Fields the go-ahead to mine, as long as they relocated the colony of 25 animals.
The project to capture all of the animals is expected to take nine months. Gold Fields has begun setting up some key support infrastructure for the mine, but will wait until the animals have been removed before it begins construction at the mine, which is expected to end in 2024. The mine is expected to be operational for about 10 years.
[Picture Francesco Bovolin from Pixabay]