The rain hits like a wall of water. As our plane descends into Puerto Montt, the landscape below transforms from clear skies to a thick blanket of clouds, and by the time we land, we’re engulfed in a downpour so intense I can barely see the road ahead as we drive to Puerto Varas.

I dash from the car into the cover of trees. Fernando, Andres, and David from Fundacion Legado Chile are waiting for us at the entrance to the forest, raindrops cascading from their rain gear. As they lead us onto a wooden boardwalk cutting through dense, moss-covered forest, I’m struck by the green – every shade imaginable, moss carpeting every surface, ferns unfurling from fallen logs, the forest floor springy beneath our feet.

This isn’t the Patagonia of travel brochures with its dramatic towers and glaciers. This is something equally spectacular but often overlooked – the wetlands and sunken forests that form the northern gateway to Chile’s Route of Parks. And at its heart swims a creature so elusive that even the dedicated team who’s spent years looking for it has never seen one in the wild.What makes a team dedicate years to protecting an animal they’ve never actually seen? And what does the fate of this ghost-like creature tell us about the overlooked wetlands that form the northern gateway to Chile’s Route of Parks of Patagonia? I’m about to find out.

In Search of the Huillín (Southern River Otter)

Welcome back to Rewildology. I’m Brooke Mitchell, and today we’re at the northern gateway of Chile’s remarkable Route of Parks of Patagonia – the Maullín River basin near Puerto Varas in the country’s Lake District. 

In previous episodes, we explored the iconic landscapes of southern Patagonia – the towering peaks of Torres del Paine, the windswept plains where pumas roam, and the dramatic fjords of Cape Froward. But today, we’re searching for a creature far more elusive than Patagonia’s famous pumas – the southern river otter, or huillín.

Our journey begins in a hexagonal wooden pavilion nestled within the forest. Inside, the warm pine interior contrasts with the dark greens of the wetlands visible through floor-to-ceiling windows that surround us. Rain taps gently on the roof as I join the team from Fundación Legado Chile around a circular wooden table. This pavilion, part of the Kipex facility, serves as both a meeting place and a perfect introduction to the ecosystem they’re working to protect—visible through every window, yet sheltered from the relentless downpour.

I’m joined today by the team from Fundación Legado Chile, an organization founded in 2014 dedicated to protecting this unique ecosystem. Fernando, the organization’s interim Executive Director, introduces the team.

Fernando: I would like to introduce David. He works in the financial part.

Brooke: Ah, very important part. 

Fernando: This is Andres from the conservation department. 

Brooke: Nice. 

Fernando: And the foundation was created in 2014. At the beginning, we chose the wetlands in Llanquihue. It is a town pretty close to here. To bring the people closer to this ecosystem.

The Ghost Otter: Tracking Chile’s Endangered Huillín

Like the canary in the coal mine, the huillín’s presence or absence reveals the health of the entire river system. As a top predator, it represents the culmination of a complex food web. If it disappears, the entire ecosystem is in trouble.

Andres, who serves as the natural resources and wildlife specialist at Fundacion Legado Chile, has devoted years to studying and protecting this endangered mustelid. In a cozy gazebo in the middle of the forest at the Keepex facility, he explains the detective work involved in tracking an animal almost no one ever sees.

Andres: We talk about the conservation of the programming that the foundation have in the region. But in Chile, to make this kind of work, we need to have conservation objects. And one of the conservation objects that we have is the wetland. Some species of animals – Um, huillín

Rafa: Southern river otter.

Andres: Yes. Uh, we call it huillín, the Chilean name. And in one of our projects, we’re trying to find this otter in the river.  It is really hard because it is in danger of extinction.

Brooke: Oh, so it’s listed as endangered?

Andres: Yes. So, in the river, uh, the number of huillíns is around 15, no more than that, so it is very difficult to find it. We put out trap cameras around the river. It’s really hard because we need to put the cameras out two months before we come to recollect the images. And also it’s difficult for us because we have houses and companies around the river. So, it is not the best for the animal.

Instead of direct sightings, Andres and his team rely on an extensive network of camera traps placed strategically along the river and in the surrounding forest. These motion-activated cameras have become their eyes, capturing glimpses of wildlife that human observers rarely see.

Invasive Threat: American Mink Takeover

He shows me footage from these cameras on his laptop. But instead of the elusive huillín, the screen fills with image after image of another, far more common creature – the American mink.

Andres:  And so of the many animals that we can find here in this area and also in the river, this is the most popular animal here in Chile, actually. Do you know what it is? The animal?

Brooke: Oh, is that the mink, the American mink?

Andres: Yes, the American mink.

David: So from, uh, these trap cameras have been set for a bit more than six months.  And, like, the images that Andres [and his team] have been able to find are very convincing that the mink is a real problem. Was it 90 percent of the images were mink?

Andres: Yes. 

Brooke: 90%!

Andres: Yes.

David: So, every time the camera trap activates, it’s because it’s a mink. 

These invasive predators weren’t just accidentally introduced; they escaped from fur farms established throughout southern Chile. With no natural predators and a remarkable ability to adapt to different habitats, the American mink has become one of the most successful invasive species in Patagonia. What makes them particularly devastating is their opportunistic hunting style—they’ll eat virtually anything they can catch, from birds to amphibians to small mammals. For the specialized huillín, competing with such a generalist predator is nearly impossible.

As I watch the footage, I ask if the minks are competing for food or attacking the otters. 

Brooke:  Oh, is that a fish? 

Andres: No. 

Brooke: What was it taking? 

Andres: Um, Camarones.  

Rafa: Shrimp.

Brooke: Oh, shrimp. 

Andres: It’s the same food that the river otter [eats]. 

Rafa: So, it’s food competition. 

David: So, they’re not attacking the river otter; they’re actually taking their food. This is proof. 

Andres: Yeah. We tried to study the ecology of the animal also with the project, so, we know now that the mink have the same food as the other river, so it’s a big problem.

The huillín and mink target the same prey – freshwater shrimp and fish – creating direct competition that the aggressive invasive species usually wins.

The camera traps reveal not just the invasive mink problem, but other unexpected ecological imbalances. The pudu – South America’s tiniest deer – rarely appears in their footage, despite being expected in these forests.

Andres: And also we’re trying to find another kind of animals. In the image that we saw before, we didn’t see the small deer that we have here, the pudu. So we’re trying to find the pudu now and from the ecology of the area, we need to have a lot of deer. But we didn’t see, so it’s a problem now, actually.

As we continue our conversation, Andres suggests we step outside to see one of their conservation tools firsthand. Despite the persistent rain, we follow a wooden boardwalk from the pavilion to the edge of the Maullín River, where the dark water flows quietly past banks of dense vegetation. 

At the muddy shoreline, Andres crouches down to show me a simple wooden box with a metal cage door—a mink trap placed strategically where the riverbank meets the water. The trap sits partially buried in the soft earth, positioned to intercept mink as they travel along their riverside hunting routes. It’s a humble device for tackling such a significant ecological threat.

The team’s dedication to protecting this ghost otter hasn’t wavered. Their search has revealed not just the challenges facing this individual species, but the complex web of ecological relationships that define the health of the entire Maullín River basin.

To understand why this elusive creature matters so much, we need to explore the unique wetland ecosystem it calls home – an environment as overlooked as the otter itself, but just as essential to Chile’s ecological heritage.

Sunken Treasures: The Vanishing Valdivian Rainforest

Andres: We are in the sunken forest. We don’t see the water. But we have water inside the forest or behind the forest. In Chile, we have different type of forest ecosystems. Nine, actually. Uh, this is one of them. Sunken Forest is from Coquimbo. You know, where is Coquimbo? It’s in the north of Chile. Yes, uh, to the Magallanes region. But yeah, we have Sunken Forest only in this region. The other forests, they’re extinct. So, for this reason, it’s important to conserve this kind of forest. And also, the vegetation that we can find here is very special because we have at this latitude, uh, very specific vegetation, yeah? This tree you can find only in Chile or in Argentina, but no more in other countries.

A “sunken forest” is exactly what it sounds like—a forest where the boundary between land and water blurs, where trees stand with their roots permanently submerged. This ecosystem is also known as a Valdivian Rainforest.

Andres: This kind of forest, we call it Valdivia Temperate Forest or Rainforest Valdivia and have many names.  But this is a hotspot from the vegetation here.

David: Yeah, like this climate is a temperate climate. A temperate, rainy climate. 

Andres: Yeah. And also you can find Valdivia Rainforest in South of Africa, in the north of Australia, in the south of New Zealand. It’s the same latitude.

The Valdivian temperate rainforest we’re exploring is one of the rarest forest types on Earth, found only in a handful of places at this latitude. What makes this area even more remarkable is its unique biodiversity.

Our guide, Rafa, explains why these wetlands often receive less attention than Patagonia’s more famous landscapes.

Rafa:  The Maullín River is one of the most biodiverse spots in Chile. Yeah? Just as an example, it has more than 180  species of birds. Is the last remain of submerged forest that we have in the country. We had a lot of, uh, this kind of forest in many places in North Patagonia. Not anymore, unfortunately. So the objects of conservation are really, really very easy to identify if you are into conservation and you want to do something for the planet.

Here, if you evaluate a little bit what it’s been preserved, the forest site, like Pumalin, where we’re going tomorrow, is it’s covered in a way. You know, because we have Rewilding Foundation. We have other NGOs working in the protection of the temperate rainforest, especially the National Park, the creation of the Route of the Parks, et cetera.

This is not as fancy as that conservation.  You know, I’m not saying that the other one —it’s a lot of work for the other one too, but this is not as fancy. So it’s not as easy in order to attract money and attract commitments.  But we know that it is the most important hotspot of biodiversity of the Lake District with fauna, with different species of fish, birds is a very rich, uh, environment also for local community that depend on the health of the river for the subsistence economy activities.

This creates a vital ecological corridor connecting the Andes to the Pacific—a smaller-scale version of the Route of Parks concept we’ve been exploring throughout Patagonia. Just as the larger Route of Parks aims to connect diverse ecosystems from Puerto Montt to Cape Horn, these wetlands connect mountain forests to coastal ecosystems, allowing wildlife to move between habitats and maintaining ecological processes that would otherwise be disrupted.

Environmental Pressures: Population Boom in the Lake District

The area’s rich biodiversity faces multiple threats beyond just invasive species. Andres and David explained that the Lake District’s population has exploded in recent years, particularly since the pandemic, with numbers nearly doubling as people fled urban areas seeking homes in this natural paradise.

This rapid growth brings cascading environmental challenges to the ecosystem—agricultural runoff from farms intensifies, waste management systems struggle to keep pace with the growing population, and forests are increasingly cleared for new housing developments and infrastructure.

As we observed the river, signs of these pressures were visible along its banks—areas where native vegetation had been removed right up to the water’s edge, eliminating the critical buffer zones that would naturally filter pollutants before they reach the water.  Some areas have been so degraded that the water runs murky with dangerous levels of agricultural chemicals in dangerously low oxygen content.

David:  You can’t see, but there are also many farms next to the river. They’ve been here for more than a hundred years.

Rafa: There’s a lot of pollution for our agricultural chemicals. 

Andres: Yeah.

David: And also, poo from the cows, like it’s a lot of nitrogen because of that.

I ask if the increase in nitrogen has caused a drop in the river’s oxygen levels.

David:  It’s close to critical, like it’s really low. From the levels that we saw last week, they were close to critical. So, but the problem is in the beginning of the river.

Andres: Yeah, they have the problem with the pollution in the water. And also, you can see the different colors in the water.

And yet, despite these challenges, the team remains optimistic about the potential for conservation success.

Rafa:  Our ecosystems in the south of Chile are still pretty healthy if you compare same situation, for example, in Europe.  

Andres: Or in Africa.

Rafa: In Europe, the ecosystems, you know, are lost. They are doing a work of rewilding, you know, because Rewilding Europe, they need to be very, very, from the beginning, basically, because they lost everything. The water is polluted. There’s no more life in the waters.  There are no more large herbivores that are the base of the rewilding efforts. 

Here we got all that still.  Despite all the problems that we have. So here we have a hope, basically, also, to revert the situation. [It] is not an easy, but it’s easier than in other places where the ecosystem were lost, basically.  So this, I don’t know if that explains why we chose this place, but, uh, yeah, I think that the place also chose us.

Andres: Yeah, we have the opportunity to conserve the area. It’s mission critical to protect this.

This perspective is crucial to understanding the importance of the Maullín River basin. The team at Legado Chile isn’t trying to rebuild something that’s been completely lost – they’re working to prevent that loss in the first place, preserving ecological functions that, once gone, are nearly impossible to restore.

The huillín, though I never actually see one, embodies this story of both fragility and resilience. If this endangered top predator can be protected, it signals hope for the entire ecosystem. And as I’m about to learn, the strategies for saving both the otter and its habitat involve far more than just ecological science.

Holistic Conservation: Beyond Wildlife Monitoring

Fundación Legado Chile has developed a holistic approach to conservation that extends far beyond monitoring wildlife and water quality. Their work spans environmental education, community engagement, waste management, and partnerships with private companies, creating a multi-faceted strategy to address the complex challenges facing the Maullín River basin.

David: We do education programs in schools in Llanquihue where all the wetlands are. So these are kids from sixth grade, and they know those wetlands. Maybe they don’t value them as much as we would like, but the idea is through all these different projects – reforestation, working in the schools – we can maybe have “bichitas”, as we call it in Chile. It’s like planting a seed in the kids, also. And they need to know, first of all, what they have around them. Like, you can’t take care of something you don’t know or you don’t or appreciate.

But education is just one piece of the puzzle. Another major focus has been improving waste management in the region. They’ve established recycling centers in Puerto Varas and Llanquihue, addressing one of the most visible forms of pollution affecting the river and its wetlands.

David: We started a waste management facility, Punto Limpio, we call it in Puerto Varas. So the neighbors can recycle. And now we also help the municipality of Don Quijote. We started a new waste facility in Llanquihue, so now there’s a second one, and that’s another way we can help. So, we see that there’s all this waste. So, well, we can maybe give a solution for people – you can start bringing it here

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of their work is how they’ve engaged the private sector in conservation. The very place where we’re conducting our interview – the Keepex facility – exemplifies this approach. This agricultural company has set aside a portion of its property for conservation, established walking trails through the forest, and allowed Legado Chile to install camera traps and conduct research on their land.

Fernando:  Thanks to some companies like, Keepex, for example, where we are now, BirdsChile, they bring the clients to [do] rewilding activities and they help us to clean up, planting and all the things that we do. And other companies in other places are asking us to help them to improve the environment of the companies.  That’s a new point that is very important for us also.

All of these initiatives – education, waste management, private sector partnerships, and coordination with government agencies – come together in their flagship project: the protection and restoration of the Maullín River basin’s wetlands.

As we walk along the riverbank, the team points out areas where they’ve removed invasive plants and replaced them with native species, creating wildlife corridors that connect fragmented habitats. These seemingly small interventions can have outsized impacts, restoring ecological processes that have been disrupted by human activity.

What strikes me most about Legado Chile’s approach is its patience and persistence. They recognize that meaningful conservation occurs on a timescale of decades, not months or years. The educational programs they’re conducting today may not bear fruit until today’s sixth-graders become tomorrow’s decision-makers. The trees they’re planting may take years to provide meaningful habitat.

David: It’s a slow process, but it will give results maybe in 10, 20 years.

This long-term perspective is essential for addressing the complex environmental challenges facing the Maullín River basin – and it offers an important lesson for conservation efforts throughout the Route of Parks and beyond.

Final Thoughts & Looking Ahead

Hazleena: We have a rainbow back there.

Brooke: Oh my gosh, another one!

Nicole: And there are two.

Brooke: Oh yeah!

The rain that greeted us has softened to a gentle drizzle. A rainbow arches over the Maullín River, its colors reflected in the dark water. It’s a fitting metaphor for the work being done here – finding beauty and hope amidst challenging conditions.

Standing by the river, watching the ripples made by raindrops, I’m struck by how this place embodies both the challenges and the opportunities of conservation in the 21st century.

This is the true genius of conservation corridors like the Route of Parks of Patagonia – it doesn’t just protect the most dramatic landscapes, but creates connections between ecosystems along the length of Patagonia, from the wetlands of Puerto Varas to the windswept plains of Tierra del Fuego. Each habitat, each species plays a crucial role in this interconnected web of life.

The huillín embodied this interconnection. As a top predator in the river ecosystem, its presence or absence tells us something essential about the health of the entire watershed. By working to protect this elusive creature, Legado Chile is protecting an entire ecosystem – and the human communities that depend on it. 

Next Time

Next time on Rewildology, we’ll continue our journey through the Lake’s District and explore Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park, one of the jewels in Chile’s conservation crown. We’ll explore how one man’s vision helped catalyze a conservation revolution that would eventually lead to the creation of the Route of Parks itself.

Until then, I’m Brooke Mitchell, and this has been another adventure on the Route of Parks. Remember, conservation isn’t just about protecting the spectacular – it’s about recognizing the value in every ecosystem, from the smallest wetland to the highest peak.

Join Project Patagonia

Before I go, I want to invite you to become part of something bigger than just this podcast. This series is actually one pillar of a larger initiative called Rewildology’s Project Patagonia – where conservation truly meets adventure.

Project Patagonia is built on three key elements: Listen, Experience, and Protect.

You’re already participating in the first pillar by listening to this podcast series. Over the next eight episodes, we’ll journey together through the remarkable Route of Parks of Patagonia, uncovering stories of conservation challenges and triumphs.

But if you’re inspired to go deeper, you can join us in the field for the second pillar – Experience. In April 2026, I’ll be leading a small group of just ten people on an unforgettable expedition to track pumas and explore the majestic mountains of Torres del Paine National Park. This intimate adventure includes expert-led puma tracking, meetings with conservation researchers, hiking through breathtaking landscapes, and even kayaking to the magnificent Grey Glacier. You’ll literally follow in the footsteps of the stories you’re hearing in this podcast.

The third pillar – Protect – is where your passion can translate into direct conservation impact. Through our partnership with Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, your support helps fund crucial work to protect pumas and their habitats throughout Patagonia. Your donations help bridge divides between fragmented habitats, develop solutions for human-wildlife conflict, implement wildlife corridors, and support cutting-edge research.

Whether you choose to listen to this series, join our expedition, make a donation, or all three – you become part of a community dedicated to preserving one of Earth’s most spectacular regions.

To learn more about Project Patagonia and how you can get involved, visit rewildology.com/projectpatagonia. Together, we can ensure that the Route of Parks of Patagonia continues to thrive for generations to come.