VINTAGE Native PERU Wild VICUNA Fur RUG Alpaca LLAMA Blanket SOFTEST IN WORLD NR

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VINTAGE Native PERU Wild VICUNA Fur RUG Alpaca LLAMA Blanket SOFTEST IN WORLD NR:
$999.99

VINTAGE Native PERU Wild VICUNA FUR RUG; SOFTEST IN WORLD

C.; Vintage, Approx.; 91\" x 55\", fur 73\" x 48\", FINE Condition age appropriate wear

VINTAGE Native PERU Wild VICUNA FUR RUG SOFTEST IN WORLD NR

VICUNA FIBERS 12.5 Microns Finest Cashmere 13.5 - 17 NO SOFTER WOOL

Wild VICUNA are related to Alpaca, Llama, and Guanaco, all cameloids

Never domesticated,VICUNA rugs were made until 1959 and hunting was outlawed

RARE AND UNLIKELY TO BE MADE AGAIN; PREMIERE FUR RUG

MADE ONLY WITH BACK AND BELLY FUR; ABSOLUTELY THE BEST

WORTH UPWARDS OF 3000.00 PLUS DOLLARS RETAIL

VicuñaThe vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) or vicugna[2] (both /vɪˈkuːnjə/) is one of two wild South American camelids which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes, the other being the guanaco. It is a relative of the llama, and is now believed to be the wild ancestor of domesticated alpacas, which are raised for their coats. Vicuñas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is very expensive because the animal can only be shorn every three years, and has to be caught from the wild. When knitted together, the product of the vicuña\'s wool is very soft and warm. The Inca valued vicuñas highly for their wool, and it was against the law for anyone but royalty to wear vicuña garments.
Both under the rule of the Inca and today, vicuñas have been protected by law, but they were heavily hunted in the intervening period. At the time they were declared endangered in 1974, only about 6,000 animals were left. Today, the vicuña population has recovered to about 350,000,[1] and although conservation organizations have reduced its level of threat classification, they still call for active conservation programs to protect populations from poaching, habitat loss, and other threats.
The vicuña is the national animal of Peru; its emblem is used on the Peruvian coat of arms.
The wool is popular due to its warmth. Its properties come from the tiny scales on the hollow, air-filled fibres. It causes them to interlock and trap insulating air. Vicuñas have some of the finest fibers in the world, at a diameter of 12 μm. The fiber of cashmere goats is 14 to 19 μm, while angora rabbit is 8-12 and that of shahtoosh from the Tibetan antelope, or chiru, is from 9 to 12 μm.[9] but since it is sensitive to chemical treatment, the wool is usually left in its natural color.
The vicuña only produces about 0.5 kg of wool a year, and gathering it requires a certain process. During the time of the Incas, vicuña wool was gathered by means of communal efforts called chacu, in which multitudes of people herded hundreds of thousands of vicuña into previously laid funnel traps. The animals were sheared and then released; this was only done once every four years. The vicuña was believed to be the reincarnation of a beautiful young maiden who received a coat of pure gold once she consented to the advances of an old, ugly king. Because of this, it was against the law for anyone to kill a vicuña or wear its fleece, except for Inca royalty.
At present, the Peruvian government has a labeling system that identifies all garments that have been created through a government-sanctioned chacu. This guarantees that the animal was captured, sheared alive, returned to the wild, and cannot be sheared again for another two years. The program also ensures that a large portion of the profits return to the villagers. However, annually, up to 22,500 kg of vicuña wool are exported as a result of illegal activities. Because of this, some countries have banned the importation of the wool to save the animal. There is a limited but growing trend to commercially produce wool from vicuñas in captivity, with growing herds in the Chilean Andes. Biologist Cristian Bonacic has expressed his concern about the possibility of habitat damage and the transmission of disease in the farms.[10]