| Alpacas
belong to the Camelid Family and have evolved over 37 million years.
They have been domesticated for some 7,000 years now. Alpacas were
treasured by the ancient Incas in South America for their fine fleece.
Large numbers of Alpacas still exist in South America, despite a
decline after the conquest of the Incas. The Spaniards could see little use for the alpacas when they invaded South America and as a result of their brutal activities, the Inca people were effectively wiped out. Unfortunately, with the Inca went a huge store of knowledge about the care and breeding of alpaca. It is generally accepted that the Inca People had produced Alpaca fibre of outstanding quality and fineness. Todays Breeders are only now starting to achieve comparable fleeces. There are only 3.5 million Alpacas world wide and 2.7 million reside in South America. South America can no longer increase it's population of Alpacas. The future of alpacas lies in New Zealand and Australia due to the grazing available. A Male Alpaca is called a Macho. A Female Alpaca is a Hembra, while a baby Alpaca is called a Cria. The birth of a Cria is known as either a Criation or an Unpacking . An Alpaca that turns one year old is called a Tui. An Alpaca can live for up to 25 years. Females can breed from 1 year of age and then on until around 20 years old. Alpacas are induced ovulators and can be bred throughout the year. Breeding success can range as high as 100% in New Zealand, while in South America it is around 40% due to harsher conditions and less careful animal husbandry. Female Alpacas are normally pregnant for between 335 and 365 Days and only produce one Cria at a time. Birthing is relatively easy and trouble free and 99% of the time occurs during daylight hours. Alpacas have soft feet with Pads under their Toe Nails. Alpacas do not spit unless they are really provoked and then it is rare for them to spit at humans. However it is more likely that they will spit at another alpaca and if you are in the way, well!!! Alpacas have only bottom teeth like a sheep, and they never bite. You can run Alpacas on as little as 2 acres of land. They have a very strong herd instinct and an alpaca left alone without the company of his/her kind will fret and can easily become very ill as a result. Alpacas are the easiest animal in the world to herd (round up) Alpacas are usually shorn annually but can be shorn every 2nd year to obtain a longer fleece. Shearing involves conventional sheep-shearing equipment but the animal is restrained. The annual yield per animal is around 3 kg with top animals reaching 8 kg. The first fleece ( Cria fleece) commands a premium value because of it's extra fineness. Other than Shearing and the usual de-worming and vaccinations Alpacas require little other care. Toenails and teeth may occasionally need trimming. Unlike sheep, Alpacas do not suffer with fly-strike or foot-rot. |