In spring 2024, I spent a month collecting data for my doctoral research as part of the longest-running ecological experiment of its type in Fray Jorge National Park, Chile. One evening, after a long day of fieldwork under the intense Chilean sun, an Andean zorro (Lycalopex culpaeus) emerged near our field station. The fox, both curious and cautious, watched us intently as we wrapped up for the day. Sensing the rare opportunity, I quickly captured a photo before it vanished into the brush. Experiences like this fuel my determination to understand the cascading impacts on ecosystems if remarkable creatures like the Andean zorro were to face extinction.