Chacoan Peccary

A children's book for the biggest peccary

Among the three peccary species the Chacoan peccary is not only the largest but also the most threatened peccary in South America. Peccaries are endemic to the dry Chaco region in the border triangle of Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Due to intensive hunting and loss of habitat the Chacoan peccary is listed on the IUCN Red List as Endangered –less than 5000 animals live in the dry forests and savannas of the Gran Chaco.

In this project the Chacoan peccaries will serve as ambassadors of their own species through a children's book:

Peccary specialists from the IUCN together with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Argentinean organization Proyecto Quimilero have been studying the ecology of the peccaries for many years. Collaboration with indigenous peoples' rights specialists, educators and local staff, as well as local hunters, resulted in the plan to produce a culturally anchored children's book about the rare Chacaon peccary. The book will be translated into Spanish and Wichi, the language of the indigenous people: combining ecological knowledge and the wisdom of the indigenous ancestors. The book will build on the legend "Mother of the forest" who protects the animals as a positive and inspiring message about nature conservation and should be passed on to the children with joy and pride.

The longterm goal of this project is to reduce hunting pressure and to promote peccaries as an iconic natural and cultural heritage for the Chacoan region

Direct project objectives for the protection of the Chacoan Peccaries are:

 - Development and production of a children’s book about the peccary

- The local project team presents the children's book to the schools in rural communities and create awareness and knowledge about the species

Stiftung Artenschutz supports this project in collaboration with the EDGE of Existence Programme (conservation of Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered species) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).