On social media, chinchillas look like they are living their best lives: eating treats in their little fists, rolling around in dust set to epic orchestral music and bouncing off the walls of chinchilla-proof playrooms. However, what most people don’t know about this adorable creature is the multi-century history of exploitation chinchillas have endured and how lucky we are that this creature has survived. 

Chinchillas are herbivorous nocturnal rodents from the arid Andes mountains that can live up to 20 years. Their fur is exceptionally soft, with 60 plus hairs per follicle. They have selectively bred over the past 75 years to have fancy fur colors. 

I have owned chinchillas (named Meemo and Harley) for the past six years. For the last three, I have been researching all I could find about the natural history and conservation of chinchillas.

Although many pet chinchillas live in spacious cages with doting human owners, chinchilla rescues across America have been operating at full capacity for decades. People see cute fluffy creatures in pet stores and purchase them without doing proper research. But soon, the novelty wears off: the chinchilla will end up unwanted due to hay and dust allergies, major life transitions and unforeseen costs. In addition, the wild chinchillas have been on the brink of extinction for over a century. Both domestic and wild chinchillas face threats of human impacts and need our support.

In 1926 —  98 years ago —  Colin Campbell Sanborn of the Field Museum of Natural History stated in “Chinchilla – A Vanishing American” that “the chinchilla is doomed to extinction, for the law cannot protect it and it cannot be raised successfully enough ever to restock even a small portion of the Andes… it seems a crime that such a pretty, inoffensive creature must pass forever from this earth.” This insight sums up why the survival of the chinchillas is so significant to humanity. Even a genus that was exploited to the edge of extinction can still eke out a life for generations. 

In the mid-20th century, chinchillas were thought to be extinct, but in 1975, the endangered long-tailed chinchillas were found by Connie Mohlis and a former chinchillas hunter. In 1983, Las Chinchillas National Reserve was established in Aucó, Chile to protect that population and surrounding habitat. In 1998, the critically endangered short-tailed chinchillas were rediscovered, and more colonies of both species have been found since. Conservation efforts over the past 50 years haven’t affected populations significantly and chinchilla colonies continue to decline due to intrusive mine prospecting, lack of genetic diversity and habitat degradation. 

Mathias F. Chapman, a mining engineer, trapped some of the last wild long-tailed chinchillas and brought 12 chinchillas to Inglewood, California, on Feb. 21, 1923 –– 101 years ago. He started a breeding program and initiated the chinchilla fur farm industry in the U.S. Those original chinchillas are the ancestors of likely all domestic chinchillas around the world, including Meemo and Harley.

Although domestication preserved the species in a way, 101 years ago, some of the last surviving wild chinchillas were taken from their habitat to be exploited in the fur industry. Chinchilla fur farming started in the 1950s, but by the 1990s, chinchilla pelts grew too costly to produce in the U.S. Since the 1970s, rescuers have saved fur farm chinchillas from slaughter and introduced chinchillas to the world as wonderful pets. However, the cycle of exploitation continues through the pet trade and the various ethical and welfare issues associated with the industry.

Chinchillas have been exploited by humans in so many ways, but they persevered due to their delightful natures, sheer luck and the work of conservationists and rescuers. There are thousands of chinchillas suffering in inhumane conditions around the world in fur farms, breeding mills and pet store systems. The best actions we can take to ensure the welfare of the chinchillas are to educate pet owners and chinchilla enthusiasts; advocate for animal welfare and conservation legislation; support chinchilla rescues like Northwest Indiana Chinchillas (where Harley was adopted from), Forever Feisty, NOLA Chinchilla Rescue or Whimsy’s Menagerie; and donate to conservation efforts through Save The Wild Chinchillas. 

The next time you see a chinchilla on your TikTok or Instagram “For You” page, leave a comment about the plights of the endangered and unwanted chinchillas. They have persevered through centuries of exploitation and deserve to be recognized for more than just their ability to look cute for the camera.