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Alpacas, like llamas, guanacos and vicuna, are all members of the camelid family and are indigenous to the South American countries of Peru, Chile and to a lesser extent Bolivia.
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They have been farmed for many centuries by the natives of these countries, and most famously by the ancient Inca civilisation, high in the Altiplano region of the Andes.
The average alpaca can live for about 20 years, and a well proportioned adult can weigh approx 100 kg. Large herds now exist outside of their native countries, primarily in Australia, Canada, USA and of course Britain, where the national herd currently stands at approximately 12,000 animals.
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Alpacas are now farmed solely for their superbly soft and incredibly warm fleece, which is comparable to cashmere. Modern breeders consistently strive for even finer fleece, yet still retaining the density or volume-not an easy task!
By nature alpacas are herd animals and should never be kept alone. Females are usually sold pregnant (gestation is approx 11 months) while wethers (neutered males) can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of breeding females, and are an ideal companion for them.
Many agricultural shows now have classes for alpacas, where they can be led around the showroom, having earlier been halter trained. They are judged on fibre or fleece quality, and also conformation.
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Husbandry entails giving 6 monthly vaccinations against various clostridial diseases (much the same as sheep) also regular worming and toenail trimming as necessary.
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Shearing for the harvest is done once a year, usually in June or July, by a contract shearer, who visits all breeders in the area. They are a relatively trouble free animal, rarely challenging hedges or fences.
Dietary needs consist mainly of grass, clover although you should make hay available at all times especially during winter months. A small quantity of alpaca mixture concentrate which is fortified with vitamins is also fed daily in troughs.
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