Lake Nahuel Huapi is the home of the mysterious Nahuelito creature, but also, has a varied fauna, both local and imported.
Deers can be mistaken for Lake Creatures
In July 2019, Tomás Isaurralde who was driving from Villa La Angostura to Bariloche along Ruta 40 highway, saw an unusual scene, a deer swimming in Lake Nahuel Huapi, close to a long fjord along its coast known as Huemul Arm.
As mentioned in my book:
Different objects may also be mistaken for lake monsters, such as fish swimming near the surface, bobbing logs, or long-necked birds.
Interestingly, early fall (March) is the red deer’s (Cervus elaphus) breeding season. During this period, called the rut, stags aggressively compete for the attention of the females (hinds).
Stags are also known to swim across the lake from Huemul Peninsula to Victoria Island searching for females, an open and exposed stretch 2 km (1.25 mi.) wide and over 200 m (655 ft.) deep.
An inexperienced observer would swear he or she had seen Nahuelito if confronted with a swimming deer in the middle of the lake.
Insaurralde filmed it and you can see the video online. Below is a still from the video:
Red deer swimming across a Lake Nahuel Huapi.
But, where did the red deer come from? They are a Eurasian species.
Argentine millionaire and dandy, scion of the Anchorena dynasty, Aaron de Anchorena (1877-1965) is a very charming character. He was an aviator, in the early days of aviation, and an enthusiastic big-game hunter. But above all, he was very rich.
He organized an expedition to Patagonia in 1901/02 to Chubut, Rio Negro, and Neuquén, during which he hunted sea wolves, guanaco, wild cattle, and wild goats.
He explored the region when it was still wild and mostly unknown. He immediately fell in love with it, and after visiting Victoria Island on Lake Nahuel Huapi, where he camped and hunted wild goats, he met Francisco Moreno and enlisted his help to secure ownership of the island.
By law, islands in Argentina belong to the Federal Government, so Anchorena couldn’t own Victoria Island, but he got a law passed through Congress (Ley 5,263) in 1907 that leased it to him for life.
He soon built a shipyard, planted crops, and introduced exotic plants, trees, and animals so that he and his friends could hunt them. Subjected to relentless criticism, he quit his lease in 1911 and purchased a plot of land nearby, on the Huemul Peninsula, which he owned with his nephews and niece, the Ortiz Basualdo.
The interesting part of this story is that he brought into what is now a National Park, animals from other parts of the world and set them free on the island; these were red and axis deer, wild boar, pheasants, and brown bears.
He also introduced European wild boars to his ranch at Huemul, which later (1999) swam across Lake Nahuel Huapi, returning to Victoria Island.
On the Huemul Peninsula, Anchorena built an imposing ranch house was built in wood and stone in a style that would be adopted by architect Exequiel Bustillo and used in the Bariloche Civic Center and administrative buildings. The Prince of Wales stayed here in 1931. It was also the site of the first Jesuit mission established by Father Nicolás Mascardi on the coast of Nahuel Huapi in 1670.
Patagonian Monsters -
Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia
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