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M.F. Chapman was working as a mining engineer for Anaconda Copper in Chile in 1918 when he saw his first chin. A native of Chile had captured one of the rodents and taken it into Chapman's camp to sell. Chapman purchased the rodent and developed a big interest in it. This interest lasted the remainder of his life. He had the desire to own more than one of these little fur balls, and began the dream of a whole herd.
Within a year of his first encounter with a Chinchilla, Chapman applied to the Chilean government for permission to capture several of these little creatures and transport them to the United States to start his first herd. By the time this was occurring the animals were nearing extinction as the direct result of excessive trapping for their pelts. The Chilean government was reluctant to give Chapman trapping abilities, let alone take the rodent out of the sountry. Chapman did not give up without a fight and his persistence paid off when the Chilean government allowed him to do what he wanted.
A trapping party of 23 men was hired to capture as many of the furballs as they could; however, the chins were so scare that it took the party 11 years to catch 11 good enough to use as breeders. Since the chinchilla's native habitat was near 12,000 feet above sea level and it was quite cool and dry, Chapman planned to give the rodents lots of time to acclimate themselves before boarding a ship to sail to California. He believed that previous trappers had failed to keep their captures alive because they did not allow them enough time to adapt to their surrounding.
Chapman put the chins in cages and gradually lowered them down the mountain over a 12 month period of time. They were cooled with blocks of ice and shaded from direct sunlight. His careful attention to their needs paid off, and all 11 survived the trip down the mountain.
While on board the ship they still received constant care. Supplies of ice were used to keep them cool, and wet towels were placed on their cages. While traveling on the ship, the animals shed their fur before they had arrived in Los Angeles (February 21, 1923). A kit was even born while in route to the states.
Over the years Chapman did some experiencing with the chinchilla's housing and diet. As the herd developed, they were offered for sale. They were expensive at $3200 a pair. By the middle 1960's, thousands of ranchers throughout the United States and Canada were raising them. As their numbers grew they were finally offered as pets. One magazine offered pet chinchillas for $100.00 a piece. The ad described them as "little fur ball-quiet, odorless, and vermin free".
Chapman probably never had the intention that the animals would be pets; even though he developed a huge attachment to some of his breeders.