Vicuñas and guanacos decimated by introduced llamas, research suggests

Check it out:

https://phys.org/news/2022-01-mange-outbreak-decimated-wild-vicua.html

The mites shared the same genotype, indicating a single source and recent origin of the epidemic.

"The authors traced a potential source to a governmental livestock incentive program that introduced llamas to areas near the park in 2009, some of which had mange, which is rarely fatal for llamas."

"While global populations of vicuñas and guanacos are still considered healthy, the outbreak at San Guillermo is expected to bring cascading consequences for local predators and scavengers."