Alpaca
News
What is an alpaca?
Alpacas, cousins
to the llama, are native to the Andean Mountain
range of South America, particularly Peru,
Bolivia, and Chile.
Alpacas were
first imported into the United States in 1984.
Since then, the alpaca industry has grown
steadily, according to the Alpaca Owners and
Breeders Association (AOBA), the backbone of the
alpaca industry. Current estimates total over
100,000 registered alpacas with the Alpaca
Registry, Inc. (ARI) in the United States and
more than 4,000 AOBA members in North America.
There are two types of alpacas in the
United States today. Although almost physically
identical, what distinguishes the two types of
alpacas is their fiber. The Huacaya (wa-Ki'-ah)
is the more common of the two and has a fluffy,
extremely fine coat. The Suri is the rarer of
the two and has fiber that is silky and
resembles pencil-locks.
Adult alpacas stand at approximately 36 inches at the withers
and generally weigh between 150 and 200 pounds.
They do not have horns, hooves, claws or
incisors. Alpacas are alert, intelligent,
curious, and predictable. Social animals that
seek companionship, they communicate most
commonly by softly humming.
Alpacas are
shorn, without harm, every twelve to eighteen
months. They produced five to ten pounds of
luxurious fiber. Long ago, alpaca fiber was
reserved for royalty. Today it is purchased in
its raw fleece form by hand-spinners and fiber
artists. Knitters buy it as yarn.
Because of its
soft texture, alpaca fiber is sometimes compared
to cashmere. Making the fiber even more coveted,
it has the luster of silk. Alpaca is just as
warm as, yet 1/3 the weight of wool. It comes in
22 natural colors, yet can be dyed any desired
shade.
Containing no
lanolin, alpaca fiber is also naturally
hypoallergenic. Most people who are sensitive to
wool find that they can wear alpaca without the
itching or irritation they feel from wool
because alpaca fiber is smooth.
Additional
performance characteristics include: stretch,
water repellency, and odor reduction. For
travelers, clothing made from alpaca is
desirable because it is wrinkle-resistant.
Show schedule from ALSA
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The Minimum Standards
of Care for Llamas and Alpacas were developed by
the Standards of Care Committees charged by
Camelid Community with writing and gaining
broad-based consensus on those minimums. They
are based on detailed input from a wide range of
llama and alpaca owners, breeders, academics and
veterinarians from across North America who
offered suggestions as part of extensive
outreach. Support for the project has come in
various forms – responses to questionnaires,
donations of seed money, research, writing,
editing, discussion, donated graphic arts and
production, and veterinarian and legal document
review. To all those who participated in the
development of this
document, the Standards of Care Committees,
which became the Camelid Community Standards of
Care Working Group, extend a sincere thank you.
Appreciation is extended to the following
individuals, who have made special contributions
in their areas of expertise.
Minimum Standards of Care are mandatory to llama
and alpaca survival and humane treatment. These
are the most basic requirements that all llamas
and alpacas must have for physical well-being
and, as such, define minimum requirements for
animal control officers and government officials
investigating questionable llama and alpaca care
situations.
1. WATER: Animals should have
continuous access to potable drinking water.
2. NUTRITION: Animals should have nourishment
adequate to sustain life and health.
3. SHELTER: Animals should have natural or
man-made shelter that enables them to find
relief from extreme weather conditions. The
sheltered area must allow for the ability to
stand, lie down, rest and reasonably move about.
4. MOBILITY: Animals should have a living area
through which they can move freely and exercise
independently.
5. NEGLECT: Animals should have a physical
appearance free from signs of serious neglect.
Signs of serious neglect may include such things
as crippled ambulation due to severely curled
toenails, ingrown halters, or living conditions
not meeting the minimums listed above.
6. SAFETY: Animals should be reasonably
safeguarded from injury or death within their
defined living environment and/or when
traveling.
7. CRUELTY: Animals should be reasonably
safeguarded from cruel treatment and actions
that endanger life or health or cause avoidable
suffering.
8. SOCIALIZATION: Llamas and alpacas are herd
animals and should not live alone without a
companion animal. A cria (a baby llama or alpaca
under six months) should not be raised apart
from other llamas or alpacas.
This document may be reproduced without
permission, in its entirety only,
as long as the copyright citation is included.
©2005, Camelid Community Standards of Care
Working Group
Minimum Standards of Care for Llamas and Alpacas
8/16/2005
Acknowledgements
David E. Anderson, DVM, MS,
DACVS OH
Karen Baum, DVM, VA
Leah & Allan Dewald, MD, SD
Murray Fowler, DVM, CA
Nancy Irlbeck, Ph.D., CO
Michelle Kutzler, DVM Ph.D., OR
Patrick Long, DVM, OR
Bob Mallicoat, JD, CA
Ty McConnell, DVM, CA
Jeanne Rankin, DVM, MT
Cheryl Tillman, DVM, OR
Camelid Community Standards of Care Working
Group members are:
Joyce Abrams (OR) and Hilary Ware (ME),
co-chairs; Alvin Bean (NC);
Dave Belt (Canada); Ruth Epstein-Baak, Ph.D.
(CA); Barbara Greer (MO);
Julie Ann Jarvinen, DVM, Ph.D. (IA); Judy
Morgenstern (NJ); Teri Nilson-
Baird (CO); Sherry Sheridan (OR); Norma Stevens
(CA); Debby Ullrich
CA); Marsharee Wilcox (MD)