Introduction

When we talk about the ecology (the science that studies how the organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment) one topic that seems to be very important to understand the actual state of the ecosystem and the species that live there is the pernicious action of the human being. The power of the human influence constitutes a complete chapter in ecology books and manuals. The introduction of species to exogenous spaces is one of the human acts that cause terrible effects on the balance of the environment, such as quantitative and qualitative damages in autochthonous species or collateral consequences in human activities or quotidian life. ¡Is important to remark that the fault is not of the animals!

In Chile, one of the most representative (I said “representative” because the specie is part of the national badge, but no for the public efforts to protect him) animal species is the Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus). The relative abundance of this specie is very limited, and for that reason his state of conservation, in terms of category, is endangered (of extinction). Why we talk now of the extinction danger of the Huemul? Threats to the huemul and its habitat, such as livestock impacts, urbanization, recreational development, free-ranging domestic dogs, and industrial activity, continue largely unabated at all but a few of the primary habitat sites needed for huemul recovery. But, it would be right to regard the introduced species as a risk factor of a specie extinction, specifically of the actual state of the Huemul.

My hypothesis is that the Canadian Castor (Castor Canadensis) is a factor to consider when we evaluate the risk factor of an eventually extinction of the big Chilean deer. The Canadian Castor is a North American rodent introduced in the Argentinean part of Tierra del Fuego in 1946, invading Chilean territories located in the same area. The Castors eat and use many types of trees for his reprises