Alpacas belong to the Camelid animal family; they are really distant cousins to camels, but are more closely related to llamas.
They are much nicer and better behaved than either camels or llamas, and have lived in domesticated herds for many centuries in South America - mostly in Peru, Chile & Bolivia. Their fleece, skins and meat are used there in much the same way as we use sheep products in NZ.
Alpacas are highly intelligent, gentle, curious and sensitive animals, and will be checking you out any time you are interacting with them. They have extraordinarily good eyesight, and, in their natural environment (the open altiplano of the Andes mountains), they are able to see the movements of predator animals from a long distance. Their large eyes, like deep, dark pools of liquid mystery, contribute greatly to their appeal, and are reputed to be among the largest eyes (in relation to the size of the head) of any animal.
Alpacas come in two main varieties (breeds), Huacaya [pron: wi-kai-a] and Suri. We have both Huacaya and Suri breeds on our farm.
Most alpacas belong to the Huacaya breed, and have a fleece much like a sheep, with small tufts of fibre growing very close together straight out from the skin. South American countries export hundreds of tonnes of this processed fleece annually for many specialised end uses around the world. Some of this product is imported into NZ.
Only about 10% of the world’s alpacas belong to the Suri breed (so they’re almost like an endangered species!) Their tufts of fibre (which tends to be longer, more lustrous and feel smoother than Huacaya fibre) curl into ringlets that hang down from the Suri alpaca’s body, just like dreadlocks. A fully-fleeced Suri running across the paddock looks really beautiful, with its locks of fibre flowing around it’s body - just like a breath of wind blowing through long grass.
The first alpacas were imported into NZ over a century ago. Numbers in the NZ herd at present total about 25,000 animals (compare that with the millions of sheep we have!) The NZ alpaca industry is still in an early growth phase, with breeders striving to both improve the quality and increase the total number of animals. NZ is a world leader in some aspects of alpaca breeding, and the long term aim is to establish a viable industry based around the alpaca’s elite and much sought after fibre.
Because only the very best male alpacas are chosen for breeding, it is possible to obtain the non-breeding boys as wonderful companion animals for the whole family to enjoy on a lifestyle block. And each year they provide an outstanding product for knitting, felting or other craft work.
Alpacas are herd animals, and will pine away and die if they are on their own; so, if you are thinking about owning alpacas either as companion animals or for breeding, you will need a minimum of two animals.
Some Alpaca FAQS
WHAT'S 'ALPACA ETTIQUETTE'?
Alpacas are very people-friendly! But, just like humans, they like their ‘personal space’; and they don’t like it when people – or other alpacas – ‘get in their face’. So respect their space, and they’ll respect yours.
I'VE HEARD THAT ALPACAS SPIT - TRUE?
Only if they're really annoyed - usually by another alpaca. Alpacas use the 'threat to spit' as part of their everyday body language with each other, typically about 'ownership' of a tasty food source. But conflict avoidance (the other alpaca usually moves away) means that they rarely have to follow through.
A pregnant female alpaca will very readily spit at an amorous male, to let him know that his attentions are unwelcome; and it's a very effective way if giving him the message. He gets it, ok!