Alpaca World Magazine Spring 2005 - Classical MileEnd Alpacas

Alpaca World Magazine 

The only independent magazine 

reporting on the international 

alpaca industry 

Distributed by subscription 

and through countryside stores 

across the UK, Alpaca World 

Magazine reaches the largest 

readership in its market 

Spring 2005 

£4.80 where sold

Alpaca World … 

Contents 

Issue 13 Spring 2005 

ISSN 1477–7088 

Editor: Rachel Hebditch 

Vulscombe Farm, Cruwys 

Morchard, Tiverton, Devon, 

EX16 8NB. 

Telephone 01884 243579 

Mobile 07816 912212. 

Email: 

rachel@classicalalpacas. 

freeserve.co.uk 

Advertising: Heidi Hardy 

Telephone 01598 752799 

Copy deadline for the next 

issue: 4 June 2005 

Design & Production: 

Bright Friday Media 

Blagdons Means, Bolham, 

Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7RJ. 

Telephone: 01884 257834. 

Email: production@ 

bright-friday.co.uk 

Printed by Buxton Press Ltd, 

Derbyshire. 

Published by Classical 

Publishing Ltd © 

The material contained in 

Alpaca World Magazine is 

compiled by the publishers 

for information purposes 

only. Although the material 

included has been obtained 

from sources believed to be 

reliable, no guarantees are 

given as to its accuracy or 

completeness. Readers are 

reminded that expert advice 

should always be sought in 

individual cases. 

Whilst every care has 

been taken in the 

compilation of the material 

contained in this issue the 

publisher does not accept 

responsibility for any loss 

arising out of such changes 

or inaccuracies nor for 

any other loss suffered 

as a result of information 

contained in this issue. 

It is all happening in the great and glorious world of alpacas. The 

Australian breeders Cathy and Mathew Lloyd of the EP Cambridge Stud 

have moved in to take a substantial share in the Arunvale herd whilst 

Nick Harrington Smith, its former manager, John Potts of Bowford Alpacas 

and Mike Safl ey of NorthWest Alpacas have formed a new company, 

Phoenix Alpacas. What does it all mean? Well it certainly means that 

some big players in the world’s alpaca breeding community have plenty of 

confi dence in the vibrancy of the UK and European markets. 

Meanwhile, back at home, Alpaca World magazine is forging ahead with 

its drive to get the magazine into as many country stores as possible 

to give our advertisers maximum exposure to potential new customers. 

Nearly seventy stores now take the magazine including all the SCATS 

outlets in the South and South East; Mole Valley, Mole Avon and Country 

West in the South West; CCF in Wales and Carrs Billington in the North 

and Scotland. Subscriptions are at an all time high too. If any of you 

would like copies of the magazine to hand out at agricultural shows this 

summer or have a burning desire to write an article, please get in touch. 

NEWS 

04 Societys’ to Vote 

04 Peru Fibre Concerns 

04 AZVD Changes 

06 Marty McGee Dates 

06 Wessex Twins 

06 Transporting Camelids 

06 Pacafi esta 

07 German National Show 

07 UK Alpaca Collection Points 

07 John Mallon 

SPECIAL FEATURE 

08 Ring of Confi dence 

FEATURES 

28 Trailers 

30 Baby it’s Cold Outside 

44 Colour Genetics 

HEALTH AND WELFARE 

32 Nutrition Part Two 

50 Pregnancy Loss 

54 Weaning Wisely 

OVERVIEW 

22 Wildlife or Livestock 

48 Alpaca in Italy 

FIBRE 

27 Alpaca Fleece Industry 

38 Spin Off 

ADVERTISING FEATURES 

39 Hand Spun For You 

COMPETITION 

53 Picture This … 

Cover: Rachel Hebditch 

www.alpacaworldmagazine.com

News Societys’ to vote / Peru fi bre concerns / AZVD changes 

Peru’s alpaca breeders, processors 

and its government are increasingly 

concerned about the decline in quality 

of alpaca fi bre. They are worried by the 

steady increase in the amount of coarse 

fi bre that is 31 microns plus and the 

decline in the production of fi ner and 

more commercial qualities in the 20 to 

26 micron range. 

It is estimated that of the total 

amount of alpaca fi bre produced in 

Peru, 45% is coarse (31 micron plus), 

35% is superfi ne (24.5 to 26 micron) 

and 20% is baby (20 to 22.5 micron). 

Commercially the fl eeces in the 20 to 

26 micron range command better prices 

in a market that requires fi ner fi nished 

products while the coarse is becoming 

increasingly non-commercial. 

Both the state and private sectors have 

recognised the poor state of the alpaca 

in Peru today and a number of joint 

initiatives are underway all of which are 

working on genetic projects to select and 

improve the quality of the national herd. 

The latest project involves a fi ve-year DNA 

study of selected herds funded by one 

million dollars from the United Nations 

Industrial Development Organisation. 

Dr Jane Wheeler, who studied 

mummifi ed alpacas and llamas, found 

NewsRoughing it in Peru? 

Societys’ proposals will 

be put to a vote 

British Camelids and the British Alpaca Society have resumed talks in an attempt to 

bring about a merger of the two societies and create a federation to represent the 

industry. 

Agreements were reached and signed off between the two boards at a meeting 

in February to begin a process of full co-operation that will eventually lead to formal 

recognition of these relationships through the creation of a Camelid Federation. The 

notion is that the Federation would encompass independent single species societies, 

veterinarians and other associated bodies. Three joint steering committees were 

formed to come up with detailed proposals in various areas and it is anticipated that 

these proposals will be put to the membership before the end of the year. It was also 

agreed that the chairman of each society would be invited to attend each other’s board 

meetings as an observer and consultant enabling a co-ordinated approach to be 

maintained throughout the process. 

The immediate effects of these agreements are that the formation of a single alpaca 

registry is being readdressed; all alpaca shows for 2005, except the BAS National 

Show, will be open to all BAS and BCA registered alpacas; the BAS will work with its 

show organisers to create opportunities for the BCA Llama Group to profi le some of 

their llamas at BAS alpaca shows during 2005. 

A letter to the members of both societies, signed by Rob Bettinson for the BAS and 

Nick Weber for BCA, says, ‘The existing co-operation enjoyed by the Welfare and Shows 

committees will continue to be strengthened and both boards have agreed to support 

and promote the activity of each society through their memberships.’ 

Mr Bettinson concludes, ‘Needless to say, all those present at the meeting see the 

agreement to develop these proposals as a signifi cant turning point within our small 

community.’ 

Royal Bath & West Show 

The closing date for entries is getting near 

and the organisers are putting the fi nishing 

touches to the biggest alpaca show in 

Europe that runs from June 1 to 4. The 

South West Alpaca Group in conjunction 

with the Show Society is responsible for 

the running of the classes and draws on 

its large group of enthusiastic members 

to help. Jill MacLeod from Canada is to 

judge the Suri section and Dominic Lane 

from Australia will be putting the Huacaya 

section through their paces. Fleeces will 

be the primary focus this year with both 

judges taking part in judging the fl eeces 

for both Huacaya and Suri with classes for 

each age group and colour. The fl eeces 

will be judged on Friday with both Huacaya 

and Suri classes being judged at the same 

time on Saturday. 

2005 is the year for the new alpaca 

owner and breeder. SWAG would like to 

invite and encourage owners that have 

never shown before to enter their alpacas 

and fl eeces and to take part in this great 

event. Please take the time to halter train 

your alpacas and don’t forget that alpacas 

can be shorn this year and their fl eece 

entered in the show. 

On February 13th the AGM of the Alpaca 

Breeding Association of Germany (AZVD) 

took place in Kaufungen. Forty-six of the 

164 voting members were looking back 

on a successful year in 2004 following 

eight long hours of reports, discussions 

and elections of the new AZVD board. 

The screening and registry rules were 

slightly modifi ed. You will fi nd the new set 

of screening rules and the minutes of the 

AGM on the AZVD website, unfortunately, 

their fl eece far fi ner and more uniform 

than today’s animals. She heads up 

CONOPA, an organisation that researches 

the genetic purity of camelids, and is 

also a visiting professor at San Marcos 

University in Lima. Dr Wheeler attributes 

the present parlous state of the Peruvian 

alpaca to hybridisation between the 

camelid family members. 

She says, ‘The present status of the 

South American Camelids is the product 

of a largely unknown past. However in 

the light of the increased movement 

of both wild and domestic camelids in 

1983, there is an urgent need to identify 

relict populations of genetically pure, 

pre-Columbian llama and alpaca breeds 

to ensure both their preservation and the 

possibility of a return to high quality fi ne 

fi bre production’. 

Changes at the AZVD 

they are still in German and need to be 

translated into English. 

The new board members are: Frank 

Schnoetzinger (President), Heinz 

Kuhne-Pfaff (Vice President), Katrin 

Kaufmann (Treasurer), Sabine Schoengen 

(Schriftfuehrer), Jasmin Schneider 

(Registry), Michael Kall (Screening), 

Simon Klink (Zuchtwart), Notary Klaus 

Winter (Public Relations), Andreas 

Boettcher (arbitrator). 

4 | Alpaca World Magazine Spring 2005

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News Marty McGee clinic dates / Wessex twins / Transporting camelids / Pacafi esta 

Marty 

McGee 

Bennett 

UK 

Clinic 

Dates 

Marty McGee Bennett 

will be holding a series 

of clinics in the UK in 

September 2005. Marty is 

an inspirational teacher 

and her clinics are great 

fun for both human and 

camelid participants. You 

are welcome to bring your 

own llamas and alpacas to 

the clinics – we positively 

welcome those with 

challenging behaviours. 

Marty will cover all aspects 

of handling, including 

haltering, leading, 

showing, toenail trimming 

and administering 

injections. She will change 

the way you and your 

alpacas understand and 

relate to each other. It is 

a thoroughly rewarding 

experience! 

The dates and venues of 

the clinics are as follows: 

8–10 September: Basic 

Clinic. Toft Alpacas, 

Warwickshire. Contact: 

Rob and Shirley Bettinson, 

phone: 01788 810626, 

admin@toft-alpacas.co.uk. 

www.toftalpacas.co.uk 

13–15 September: 

Basic Plus Clinic. 

Bozedown Alpacas, Nr 

Reading. Contact Joy 

Whitehead on 0118 984 

3827 joy@bozedownalpacas.co.uk. 


Clinic. Alpaca Training 

Centre 

19–20 September: 

Advanced Clinic. Alpaca 

Training Centre, North 

Devon. Contact Ian and 

Rachel Waldron: 01769 

540202. info@langatonalp 

acas.co.uk. 


Clinic. Carthvean Alpacas, 

Cornwall. 

Contact Julie Taylor-Browne 

on 01209 831672 or e-mail: 

taylor.browne@clara.net. 

For more details regarding 

the workshops and about 

Camelidynamics contact 

Julie Taylor-Browne 

or visit Marty McGee 

Bennett’s website at 

ww.camelidynamics.com. 

Twins born at Wessex 

I was driving up the M6 to Cumbria when 

my phone rang. I answered it, using my 

hands free device of course, to hear 

that my newly acquired female had just 

dropped a wonderful male cria and that 

mother and offspring were both doing 

well. For most of us this would not seem 

particularly news worthy but this was 

something of a surprise to me as, only 

two days before, this female had been 

consigned to an outlying paddock to join 

all the other females that were either 

empty or not expected to give birth for 

many months. This was because she had, 

fi ve days before, dropped a cria which 

had unfortunately died just as I was 

about to take him to the vets as we could 

not work out why he was not thriving. He 

had been born without any problems 

although he was rather small; this we put 

down to the fact that he was probably 

a week or two earlier than we had 

anticipated. However his mother showed 

little interest in him, which surprised us as 

this was not her fi rst calving and she had 

been a perfectly good mother before. 

The fi rst cria had thrived during day 

one despite his mother not showing any 

interest in him. He was bottle-fed and 

attempts were made to persuade his 

mother to take more interest. During 

the second day he began rapidly to go 

downhill, at one stage he was found in 

a wet, cold heap and had to be revived 

in a hot bath and put in front of the 

Aga. He stayed curled up in the kitchen 

throughout the Saturday night and on 

Sunday still did not seem to have much 

life about him. In desperation we decided 

to take him into the vet but, having made 

that decision, he died on us before 

we could move him. The resultant post 

mortem showed all his organs were fi ne 

and that there seemed to be no logical 

reason for him to have gone downhill so 

rapidly. 

The mother was then put in a trailer 

and moved to an outlying fi eld. So it 

was something of a surprise when three 

days later, and fi ve days after the birth 

of the fi rst cria, that a small bundle of 

white fur was found in the middle of this 

fi eld. In fact it was not really that small 

and when brought in for weighing it was 

discovered that this was a 9.8 kg cria and 

full of energy and ready to live well off his 

mother. Mother and cria were transported 

back to the nursery fi eld to join the others 

and the mother reverted to her normal 

maternal self, caring for and nursing her 

new offspring. 

What is amazing is that this female 

had been carrying over 15 kgs of cria 

without showing any obvious signs that 

she had this abnormal load inside her. 

Her lack of maternal care for the fi rst 

cria was now fully explained as she had 

obviously decided that she could not 

care for two offspring and was therefore 

ready to ignore the weaker of the two for 

the benefi t of the stronger. I am pleased 

to report that both mother and baby are 

both doing well and of course the cria 

is defi nitely destined to be a prize stud 

male! Certainly he has already made 

history as the fi rst twin to be born at 

Alpacas of Wessex. 

John Gaye 

ALPACA SHEARING 

Telephone Colin for a friendly and 

professional local service with 

competitive rates. 

01884 38782 or 

07773 440354 

Email: tango@aligoff.eurobell.co.uk 

Recommended by Ian and Rachel 

Waldron of Langaton Alpacas 

Camelids: a 

moving tale 

Concerns have been expressed about llama and alpaca 

owners turning up at agricultural shows with their animals 

in the back of their vehicles rather than in a trailer. 

Kevin Chesson, Section Leader of the Animal Health & 

Welfare/Agriculture at Surrey Trading Standards writes. 

The main requirement for all livestock owners is Article 4 

(1) of The Welfare Of Animals (Transport) Order, 1997. This 

applies to the movement of all ‘animals’ and states, ‘No 

person shall transport any animal in a way which causes, or 

is likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering.’ 

My take on this is, if an animal is being transported 

in the back of a car or one of the large off-road type 

vehicles then there is a risk of injury being caused. I base 

this judgement on the fact, that unless heavily modifi ed, 

the vehicle would offer little protection to camelids in the 

event of an accident, or the driver having to take evasive 

action. The animals could be thrown through the windows 

or they could be thrown across seats, and these are but 

two examples. One also has to consider the welfare of the 

human occupants as well. 

There is an additional piece of legislation and this is 

The Transport of Animals (Cleansing and Disinfection) 

(England) (No. 3) Order, 2003. This requires that a means 

of transport is cleansed and disinfected between uses. This 

is for disease prevention and control purposes. It defi nes 

when and how this must be done. It also requires the use 

of ‘approved’ disinfectants. The transport of camelids is 

caught by this legislation. 

I would ask the question how many people would be 

willing to soak their car or brand new Range Rover in 

disinfectant. If such vehicles were to be used to transport 

camelids then there is a question of how effectively 

cleansing and disinfection could be carried out. 

In conclusion my suggestion to readers is that they only 

use vehicles or trailers that have been properly designed or 

adapted for animal transport use. This will avoid possible 

prosecution and a criminal record. Owners can obtain free 

advice through their local Trading Standards Department. 

Pacafi esta 

The Atlantics International Quality Show and Sale, 9–11 

September 2005. European Breeders are invited to take 

a holiday and visit Nova Scotia, Canada in the beautiful 

warm month of September. 

Held in Nova Scotia, Canada Pacafi esta will be an 

alpaca extravaganza – featuring halter and fl eece shows, 

endless fi bre and yarn competitions, seminars and 

clinics, gourmet food and wine and a private sale of a 

limited number of carefully screened Huacaya and Suri 

alpacas. Judges will be Julio Sumar of Peru and Cathy 

Merkely of Canada. 

Now the borders are open once more UK breeders 

have the opportunity to purchase the creme de la creme 

of Canadian alpaca stock. Catalogues will be posted on 

request – overseas entries for the fi bre, yarn and fi nished 

garment competitions welcome . 

This could be a great shipping opportunity. Some 

Canadian breeders are preparing importations to the 

UK and are willing to ship sale animals at the same 

time. Breeders interested in taking advantage of this 

opportunity should contact Pacafi esta management 

through the website www.pacafi esta.com. 


News German National Show / UK Alpaca regional collection points / John Mallon 

The German alpaca show 

beats the big freeze 

UK Alpaca clip collection 

points confi rmed 

It was a brave decision by AZVD to hold 

their national alpaca show in mid March in 

eastern Bavaria. The snow lay half a metre 

thick and during the previous 24 hours 

there had been about 30cms of snow 

throughout the eastern part of Germany 

which had provided the autobahn drivers 

with some challenging conditions. However 

the huge enthusiasm of AZVD members 

was suffi cient to battle through and there 

were about 100 entries for the show 

classes. 

Jill McCleod from Canada was judging, 

the fi rst time she had judged in a foreign 

language, but being from Alberta the 

severe winter conditions ensured she felt 

quite at home. The show is fully enclosed 

in an impressive equitation facility so the 

outside temperature of about 0 degrees 

did not really interfere with the whole day. 

Breeders had come from throughout 

the length and breadth of Germany and 

from as far away as Belgium and Austria. 

In addition there were trade stands from 

Great Britain and from Switzerland as 

well as many more local ones, selling 

everything from high-class alpaca 

garments to hand spinning and processing 

equipment. 

There is tremendous enthusiasm 

for alpacas in Germany and this was 

demonstrated very clearly by the huge 

turnout, not only in the show ring but 

also by many hundreds of others who just 

came to watch. This show takes place in 

a very rural and relatively remote part of 

Germany not very far from the border with 

the Czech Republic. It is not particularly 

easy to get to and is not close to any large 

centre of population. However despite the 

snow and wintry conditions the crowds 

continued to fl ow in through the gates until 

well into the afternoon. 

On display in the show ring the alpacas 

exhibited a wide variety of quality, ranging 

from the ordinary through to the very 

special. All colours were represented and 

in addition to the strong Huacaya entries 

there was a good number of Suris. Judging 

lasted the entire day and during the 

lunch break there was an auction of stud 

services from four of the country’s leading 

males, which raised a considerable 

amount of money for the breed society. 

At the conclusion of the judging top 

honours went to Hartwig Kraft von Wedel of 

Zauberland Alpacas for Grand Champion 

Male Huacaya with Commander and 

for Grand Champion Suri with Glamour 

Girl and to Dr Ilona Gunser for Grand 

Champion female Huacaya with Hera. 

This was only the second national show 

for the AZVD and once again they had 

arranged a remarkably professional show 

which attracted a high standard of entries 

and provided the public with a really 

impressive display of the German alpaca 

industry. 

UK Alpaca, the independent 

company that buys alpaca fl eece and 

manufactures yarn, has set up a series 

of collection centres for this summer’s 

clip. The collection centres are in 

Lancashire, West Sussex, Worcestershire 

and Devon. They will be at Lowroy Alpacas 

near Oldham in Lancashire; Hanley 

Hall Alpacas near Upton on Severn in 

Worcestershire; Phoenix Alpacas at 

Bowford Farm near Thakeham in West 

Sussex and Classical MileEnd Alpacas 

near Tiverton in Devon. 

The company buys huacaya fl eece, 

saddle and neck only, in white, fawn, 

brown and black and last year paid 

£7.50 a kilo for baby grade, £4.50 a kilo 

for fi ne grade and 0.75p for coarse grade. 

Prices paid are reviewed annually and UK 

Alpaca continually strives to fi nd ways 

to increase these returns to the growers. 

All fl eece suppliers can buy back yarn, 

if required, at wholesale prices with no 

minimum order. 

UK Alpaca has benefi ted from the 

burgeoning retail hand knit market and is 

featured in the brand new ‘Simply Knitting’ 

magazine. It has also supplied yarn to 

Those of us, who attended John Mallon’s 

demonstration at the BAS Conference 

in 2000, voted it as the most inspiring 

hour of the whole Conference. John’s 

style, with his inimitable Californian drawl, 

relaxed his alpacas and us. He showed 

us how to gentle and familiarise an 

alpaca to human touch and how to teach 

an alpaca to lead on just two fi ngers! 

With 34 years of experience in training 

an eclectic mix of cutting horses, alpacas, 

two fashion students for their fi nal year 

shows and is creating a series of knitting 

kits that will be on sale this summer. It 

has contracts to supply yarn to wholesale 

buyers and hopes to launch its range of 

rug yarns utilising the coarse grade fi bre 

in the third quarter of this year. 

Alpaca breeders who would like to 

sell their fl eeces should contact Rachel 

Hebditch on 01884 243579 or email 

rachel@classicalalpacas.freeserve.co.uk 

to arrange delivery at one of the centres. 

John Mallon at Heart of 

England Alpaca Event 

llamas and birds, John swears that 

as long as you follow his method you 

cannot fail to have success. The good 

news is that he is making a brief visit to 

England in May and will be giving some 

demonstrations at the Heart of England 

Alpaca Event on Sunday May 8th, at 

Purston Manor in Northamptonshire. 

This is the third year of the successful 

Event, where 10 like minded Breeders 

will offer 35 top quality young female 

alpacas for sale. This year there will not 

be an auction but buyers will be able to 

select from an excellent mix of pregnant 

alpacas, many mated to Accoyo or superb 

Peruvian Studs. A good offering of young 

males, some with stud potential and 

some geldings will also be on display. 

As usual there will be a wide range of 

Trade Stands and in addition there will 

be fl eece clinics with the emphasis on 

grading and skirting fl eece. For those who 

would like in-depth, hands on experience 

with John Mallon, he will be running two 

all day clinics at Purston Manor on May 

6th and 7th. Ring 01295 710228 or visit 

www.alpacasales.co.uk for further details. 

Alpaca World Magazine Spring 2005 | 7

Running a Show 

Class Event 

John Gaye and Tim Hey 

The show season for alpacas kicks off in a couple 

of weeks’ time at the South of England Show at 

Ardingly in Sussex. This year more agricultural shows 

than ever have agreed to stage alpaca classes so 

as many of you as possible should make the effort 

and get out there to promote the animals and the 

industry. The sight of a show ring full of alpacas is 

something that really attracts the public and that 

heightened awareness will help breeders, little and 

large, to make their businesses work for them. 

ring the of 

confi dence 

In this show section, Tim Hey and John Gaye write 

about show organisation, the international judge 

Dominic Lane explains what he is looking for in 

the show ring whilst the Canadian judge Maggie 

Krieger gives an insight into the wheezes that some 

Suri breeders pull on the other side of the Atlantic. 

The indefatigable Pete Watts, our most experienced 

steward, writes about his job and Marty McGee 

tells us how to train the bomb proof alpaca for the 

show ring. 

Show classes are a wonderful way to 

market the alpaca industry to the general 

public. Breeders will have their trade 

stands at various agricultural shows but 

the public want entertaining and there is nothing to 

beat the show class event with dozens of alpacas 

and their owners, all dressed and looking at their 

best. In addition the sound of a commentary on a 

public address system acts as a magnet to those 

who would otherwise have walked by a small pen 

of alpacas with not much going on. 

So why do we, as alpaca breeders and 

owners, want to put on alpaca classes at our 

local agricultural or larger national show? The 

fi rst reason is to promote and present a new 

rural industry to the general public in the most 

organised and sophisticated way we can. The 

next most important reason for the owners of 

this new livestock is to enable them to show off 

their breeding and offers others another tool for 

the selection of sires and maybe future purchase 

of high quality bloodstock. The fi nal reason for 

organising these shows is so that all exhibitors can 

meet, interact on a personal level with the general 

public and market their business. 

So what do you need to organise such an 

event? There are certain things that are essential: 

✱ A sense of humour 

✱ A persuasive tongue to encourage others to 

help you 

✱ A mobile phone in order to be on hand for 

weeks beforehand 

✱ An ability to delegate 

✱ A check list of things to do and when to do 

them 

✱ Whisky, brandy or some suitable beverage to 

calm the nerves as the big day approaches 

First of all fi nd a judge – you may fi nd someone 

from the list of judges in the UK or you could try 

for an overseas judge perhaps from Peru, Australia, 

the USA or Canada. The advantage of an overseas 

judge is that you may well attract more breeders to 

take part in order to have their animals looked at 

by someone from outside. 

Once you as the show organiser have secured 

your judge then it is vital to start searching around 

for helpers because your aim should be that on 

the day you can take a supervisory role rather than 

be tied into one of the many roles that will prevent 

you seeing what is going on. The following list is 

not exhaustive but may help: 


The Ring Steward This is the handler’s friend 

in the ring. He or she must be experienced with 

alpacas and must know exactly what is expected 

of the handlers and alpacas so that everyone, 

including the judge, is relaxed and able to assess 

the alpaca at the critical moment. 

Marshalling Stewards These people must be 

highly organised and able to cajole or bully all 

the handlers to be in the right place at the right 

time with the correct animals. It is the marshalling 

steward who will make or break the timetable. 

Penning Steward This role can be doubled up 

with another role as it is one that requires lots of 

action before the event actually starts. Arranging 

the pens, receiving the alpacas and ensuring that 

the correct animals go into the correct pens is the 

principal job. 

Prizes and Recording Steward/s The scale of the 

show will dictate whether this job needs more than 

one person. The role is to ensure that all results 

are correctly recorded and that the appropriate 

ribbon or rosette is available for the judge at the 

end of each class. 

Chief Steward can be a vet, judge or a qualifi ed 

person – to check each animal prior to the show. 

Inspection Stewards to accompany the inspector 

or chief steward prior to the show. 

Commentator Not only must the commentator be 

able to talk at length about alpacas without boring 

for Britain but he or she usually ends up directing 

much of what is going on and must stay sober 

long enough to be able to pronounce who has won 

each class and get the names of both animal and 

breeder correct. 

Before the Show 

One of the fi rst things is to get hold of the show 

rules from the breed society. The rules dictate 

what the classes are going to be and although 

in a small show the classes may well be merged, 

that can be done on the day with the help of 

the judge who will be very aware of how to keep 

the public interested. Months before the show 

you will need to start to publicise the event with 

the alpaca breeders so that they can plan which 

shows they are going to attend well in advance. 

Liasing with the organisers or the committee 

of the agricultural show will provide you with a 

great deal of information about the infrastructure 

they can offer. Can they provide covered 

accommodation for the pens (essential) and if 

necessary can they lay on cover for the judging 

ring should it be wet on the day? Do they 

have a plentiful supply of hurdles and do they 

have some form of display boards to help with 

the layout and organisation of the animals? 

Absolutely vital is a good public address 

system preferably with a hands free walk-about 

microphone so that the judge can address their 

comments to all those who are watching. Some 

form of gazebo cover for the commentator, 

recording and prize stewards together with 

chairs, a table and suitable cloth are important 

as well as a blackboard or similar where all the 

results can be recorded for the benefi t of all 

those taking part or watching. If there is to be a 

separate fl eece judging then you will need plenty 

of tables and containers in which to place the 

fl eeces. Find out how much the show will help 

with fi nancial support. 

You will need money; some of which can 

be gathered from the show through the entry 

fees, some also from sponsorship. Sponsorship 

needs careful thought. There are only a few 

alpaca specialist suppliers in the UK and they 

do get ‘tapped’ to sponsor all the major events 

so you may fi nd that they are not always going 

to be keen to sponsor a smaller event. Do not 

despair; go to your accounts and work out to 

whom you pay out money regularly, your local 

feed merchant, agricultural suppliers, ATV 

supplier etc, and approach them. The longer list 

of potential sponsors the smaller the amount you 

need ask them for and thus the greater chance 

you will have of getting their help. Some will 

provide money, others may well prefer to present 

something ‘in kind’, such as prizes. You will need 

both. In addition do not forget that they will 

need something in return so ask them for their 

banners for the ring side and ensure that the 

commentator has a complete list so that he can 

mention them throughout the day. Other forms 

of sponsorship in kind may well be pot plants to 

decorate the ring, accommodation for the judge 

or food and drink for the offi cials. Sponsors are 

important as their banners decorate the ring 

and make the alpaca industry look vibrant and 

professional. 

The deadline for entries should be well before 

the date of the show as there is the programme 

to be made out and printed. This may well be 

done by the agricultural show organisers who will 

want to put all the show events for all breeds 

of animal and the entries into their catalogue. 

Almost certainly there will be more animals 

entered than will appear on the day. 

✱ Other things to organise, maybe in conjunction 

with the agricultural show committee: 

✱ Sashes, rosettes and certifi cates for every class 

winner 

✱ A presentation for the judge at the end of 

the show 

✱ Presentations for the stewards at the end of 

the show 

✱ Refreshment for the judge – preferably not 

alcoholic – and on a hot day preferably with ice 

or from a cold container. The show will probably 

provide a lunch ticket for the judge and an 

accompanying steward. 

Venues & Dates 

Summer Show 

South of England Show 

Ardingly, May 1–2 

Judge Paul Cullen 

Liz Butler 01737 823375 

llamaliz@hotmail.com 

BAS National Show 

May 14–15 

Newark County Showground 

Judge Val Fullerlove 

Duffy Osborn-Jones 01491 573208 

tim@osborn-jones.freeserve.co.uk 

Devon County Show 

May 19–21 

Judges Val Fullerlove, Paul Cullen 

Ian Waldron 01769 540202 

info@langatonalpacas.co.uk 

Northumberland County Show, 

Corbridge, May 30 

Halter Classes, Qualifi er for the Royal 

Show 

Vicky Ridley 01434 673473 

g_ridley@lineone.net 

Royal Bath & West Show June 1–4 

Judges Jill Macleod, Dominic Lane 

Tim Hey 01747 830120 

Timhey76@hotmail.com 

Kenilworth Show 

June 5 

Maxine Watts 01926 624283 

max@fi nealpacas.co.uk 

Three Counties Show 

June 19 

Judge Liz Barlow 

Hilary Shenton 01568 750396 

hilary@zarza-alpacas.co.uk 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 


Special Feature Ring of Confi dence 

Immediately Prior to 

the Show 

You and the penning steward must come up 

with a plan for the reception and housing of the 

alpacas that must be made clear to all the owners 

when they arrive. You will need assistants to help 

with this. Firstly the pens must be constructed 

according to your plan – allow lots of room as 

each owner will almost certainly want a small area 

for their possessions and for themselves. Females 

must be separated from males, and there may well 

be a requirement for a few more secure pens for 

large stud males. Each owner’s/exhibitor’s pen(s) 

should be clearly signed, not least to prevent 

people from taking more than their prescribed 

space. Ensure that there is suffi cient room for a 

one way circuit for animal movement during the 

show 

Owners may need some help in getting their 

animals into their pens with the minimum of 

fuss or escapees. Although the odd rampaging 

escaped alpaca does provide the public with 

great entertainment, it does nothing for the blood 

pressure of yourself or the owner of the animal. 

You may well need a steward to help owners 

manoeuvre their vehicle and trailer into position 

to unload. Here a man (yes that is a very sexist 

comment) can be very useful if he is skilled 

in reversing trailers and this can save hours of 

time and embarrassment for all concerned; 

although watching trailer reversing can be hugely 

entertaining for the onlookers. Perhaps it should 

be considered by agricultural shows as another 

form of attraction. 

On the Day 

Your judge will not arrive until just before 

the show is due to start and they will expect 

everything to be just about ready to go. They 

will either arrive independently or under the 

supervision of the agricultural show organisers, 

this is to ensure that there can be no possibility 

of perceived undue infl uence by anyone who is 

showing animals. 

Ensure that there are enough programmes for 

every exhibitor, to be given out on their arrival, so 

they can be prepared for their inspections and to 

give away to the general public. They like to follow 

the classes as well and it puts exhibitors names 

in their hands. 

You and the stewards must be very much 

aware of the start time and must work to that 

religiously. A late start rebounds throughout 

the rest of the day and may well mean that 

the alpacas miss out on the parade of the 

champions or even that the classes continue on 

after the show is over and the public have gone 

home. 

Each and every animal will need to be 

inspected before the classes commence. You 

will need an inspection steward and their team, 

usually including a vet, to check their health and 

at least one, probably two, stewards to check the 


identity of each animal. For this they will need a 

microchip scanner and a copy of the entry form 

showing the animals’ registration details. Any 

animal found to have fi ve legs or three eyes will 

not be allowed to exhibit and obviously anything 

showing signs of sickness must be removed away 

from the pens in to some form of isolation to 

prevent the spread of disease. This can be a slow 

process and thus it is vital that all owners know 

that they must have their animals penned, if not 

the night before, then very early in the morning 

of the show. 

Meanwhile the commentator and the other 

stewards will need to briefed on the day’s 

programme. Once the event is under way three 

of the most important individuals for the smooth 

running of the day are the commentator, the ring 

steward and the marshalling steward as everyone 

will look to them for guidance. 

Ensure your instructions are clear and clearly 

understood. There must be no ambiguity and 

the more people who are briefed the more likely 

things will go according to your plan. Once the 

show is underway there is little you can do but 

relax and oversee all that is going on, being 

prepared to intervene where there is a problem. 

You may well be approached by an exhibitor who 

may have a grievance about something – this is 

where your sense of humour may well be tested. 

It may be necessary to seek guidance from the 

judge but essentially you will be the fi nal arbiter 

over grievances and exhibitors can become very 

competitive and lose their sense of perspective. 

It is not however very common and on the whole 

competitors retain their sense of humour and 

their understanding of what it is all about. 

At the conclusion of the show classes you 

will need to consider how to thank all those 

who have taken part: the judge, the stewards 

and not least the exhibitors. Will this be the job 

of the commentator or will you wish to take the 

microphone? Who will do the presentation of the 

gifts – can you fi nd a suitable ‘celebrity’ or senior 

sponsor? 

Even now the day is not over as the animals 

now have to be collected by their owners, the 

prizes collected, the sponsors’ banners taken 

down and returned, the fl eeces bagged up and 

returned to their owners and a whole lot more. 

So do not plan to have a dinner party that night. 

Not least the results must all be collated and 

passed both to the agricultural show committee 

and to the relevant breed society. Also consider 

passing them to both the local and alpaca press. 

Almost certainly the day will have gone smoothly 

and without any grievances from the exhibitors 

and the public and the agricultural show will have 

benefi ted by a wonderful spectacle of the alpaca 

community at their best. You will have done a job 

to be proud of and the alpaca industry can be 

very grateful to you for helping to promote it in 

such a positive way. 

A Matter of 

Judgement 

Dominic Lane 


It was in1995 that I fi rst discovered alpacas 

and like most people I immediately fell in love 

with this enchanting animal. It didn’t take long 

to make the decision to enter the industry and 

start to breed alpacas. I now breed both huacayas 

and suris in Tasmania, Australia, and have always 

had a passion for the fi bre they produce. As I 

found myself getting my hands on every alpaca 

I could to asses their fi bre qualities, I realised 

that this was a skill I wanted to develop further. I 

already had experience as a wool classer in New 

South Wales and so moving into the assessment 

of alpaca fi bre was a natural progression. In 1999 

I attended an Australian Alpaca Association judges’ 

workshop that included a combination of a written 

exam and a mock show where you were asked to 

judge classes of huacaya and suri and give your 

oral reasons. Fleece classes were also presented 

and judged. This weekend was run under the 

scrutiny of some of Australia’s most experienced 

and senior judges. Then came the next two weeks 

of waiting for a letter or phone call, did I pass? It 

was with great pleasure that I was informed that I 

had been accepted as an AAA apprentice judge. 

I have consequently gone on to become a fully 

qualifi ed AAA judge and have had the privilege 

of judging alpacas throughout Australia and New 

Zealand. 

Venues & Dates 

Summer Show 

East of England Show 

June 17-19 

Judge David Barnett 

Peter Garner 01763 853133 

alpacas@mordenhall.co.uk 

The Royal Show 

July 3–6 

Judge Diane Condon 

Maxine Watts 01926 624283 

max@fi nealpacas.co.uk 

Cumberland Show 

July 16 

Judge David Barnett 

Mike Griffi ths 01539 567922 

alpacas@euphonyzone.com 

Penrith Show 

July 23 


Pat Bentley 01931 714380 

Bill.Bentley@btopenworld.com 

Mid Devon Show 

Judge Nick Harrington Smith 

Chas Brooke 01884 243514 

chas@mileendalpacas.freeserve.co.uk 

Border Union Show 

Kelso, July 30–31 



North Devon Show 

August 3 


Ian Waldron 01769 540202 

info@langatonalpacas.co.uk 

Slaley Show, Hexham August 13 





This leads me to the question, how subjective 

is the judging process? Winners rarely ask the 

question, but I have no doubt that some losers 

have been tempted to. My answer would be 

that it is no more subjective than in a court 

of law, where the judges may be eccentric but 

where the law itself usually wins through. Alpaca 

judges are all different characters but the rules 

of judging keep our decisions within certain 

parameters. It would be unusual for two judges 

to disagree over whether a particular animal had 

good conformation or not, whether a fl eece was 

lacking in lustre or not and so on. However, in 

the last analysis, where two animals are being 

considered for a ribbon and there seems little to 

choose between them, it is possible that some 

sort of personal preference may decide the 

issue. This is what gives you individuality as a 

judge, your likes and dislikes. 

me to check for conformation, that is 35% of 

the judging process. I check its conformation 

from the side view and again as the alpaca 

walks away from me. If I am unable to check 

conformation correctly on an alpaca that is 

not walking properly due to being nervous or a 

So, what then, do I want to see when I open 

a huacaya fl eece? (60%). I love to open that 

fi rst fl eece in the line-up and I want to see 

a fl eece that opens cleanly showing a highly 

aligned staple formation, a high frequency, 

high amplitude crimp style that is uniform from 

the skin to the tip of the staple. It must have 

excellent brightness, density, fi neness and 

handle, this is the feel of the fl eece. Two equally 

good fl eeces may handle quite differently. I also 

check for lack of medulation and any coloured 

fi bre within the fl eece. I will pull out any alpacas 

from the line-up that I consider are worthy of a 

ribbon and by the time I have reached the end 

of the line-up I usually have placed the alpacas 

in order. When I have alpacas that are very close 

in fi bre qualities, which is happening more and 

more often, I will inspect the fl eece to see how 

far the character travels down the legs, belly, 

The crucial point to keep in mind is that the 

alpaca is bred for its fl eece and the judging 

process is used to determine which animals, 

in the judge’s opinion, have the best fl eeces 

according to criteria required by manufacturers. 

Whilst this may seem obvious, it needs 

emphasizing. In the UK, as in Australia, the 

USA and Europe, indeed everywhere alpacas 

are raised other than in South America, the 

industry is still in its infancy. New breeders are 

constantly being attracted to try their hand and, 

as a consequence, there is an ongoing market 

for the sale of animals. This can be a lucrative 

business and almost all alpaca breeders make 

their living this way. We must remember, though, 

that this cannot continue for ever and that, 

when the market reaches saturation point, the 

breeders who will thrive will be those whose 

animals have superior fl eeces. That, therefore, is 

primarily what I am looking for when I step into 

the judging ring. 

So what is the process I go through when 

judging an animal as it is led into the ring? 

Firstly, I have each alpaca parade in front of 

surface that it is not comfortable walking upon, I 

will ask the handler to parade their alpaca again 

until I am satisfi ed. I always respect the fact that 

the handler has gone to the trouble to present 

their alpaca in front of me and therefore they 

deserve the chance to have their alpaca judged. 

Once all the alpacas in the class are lined up I 

check them all once more from behind to check 

for conformation, the slope of the rump and 

length of the tail. I then take the opportunity to 

look at the lineup from the front checking again 

for conformation, coverage and presence. I must 

also add that I am always looking out for my 

Supreme Champion. I then approach the fi rst 

alpaca from the front and check the bite, eyes, 

and ears and feel the muzzle for softness. I then 

check for the body score and check the tail. 

On males I check the testicles but I am not as 

tough on Junior Males for testicle size as I am 

for the older classes. However, I certainly take 

this into consideration when I am presented 

with junior males that are extremely close in 

their fi bre qualities. I then open the fl eece in 

three spots, the shoulder, mid side and hip. 

the brisket and tail and if it is present up the 

neck, bonnet and cheek. I am also looking for 

uniformity of crimp style during this process as 

the higher the quality of fl eece in these areas 

the more valuable it is to the grower and the 

manufacturer. Fineness, which relates to the 

alpaca’s micron reading, is a prime requirement. 

I also take coverage into consideration as the 

fi rst placed alpacas will be in the Championship 

line up and therefore must look like a 

Champion. 

Naturally of course, other factors play an 

important part. Never underestimate the effect 

on a judge of a beautifully presented animal 

(5%), handled skillfully and professionally by 

its owner. If that well-presented and handled 

animal fi nds itself in the fi nal line-up, the judge 

will be, at the very least, well disposed towards 

it. In the end though, I repeat it is the fl eece 

quality that counts the most. It is the judge’s 

most challenging task to balance the good 

qualities and failings of one animal against 

those of another and to decide which is better. I 

believe that the essential thing is to 



be consistent and make quite clear why I came 

to my decision in my comments after judging a 

class. In this way breeders can be educated and 

assured they are on the right track or take steps 

to include in their breeding programme alpacas 

to improve defi cits in their herds. 

What do we make of the instances when an 

alpaca is placed fi rst in its class at one show 

and not even placed at another? Assuming that 

the quality of alpacas was the same at both 

shows, which could be the case, one should 

bear in mind that the same alpaca can present 

quite differently on two occasions. It may be 

unwell or upset or the weather or show venue 

may have affected it. Serious breeders should 

always be prepared with electric fans to cool 

their alpacas in hot or humid conditions. A 

beautiful looking fl eece with high density can 

collapse and look quite ordinary unless steps 

are taken to counter this. 

What I love to see in the show ring are well 

presented alpacas and handlers. This sets the 

standard of professionalism for the industry. I 

am always aware of good handlers, they never 

take their eye off the judge, never get in the way 

of their alpaca to spoil my view and are always 

ready to listen to any instructions given by the 

judge or ring steward. 

I look forward to the line up of black alpacas 

because I fi nd them a spectacular sight and 

consider all the coloured alpacas something we 

breeders should cherish; they are unique to the 

breed. The older classes such as Mature are one 

of my favourites as you are hoping to see what 

we all aspire to breed, an older alpaca that is 

still producing high quality, fi ne fi bre. I also enjoy 

judging the sire’s progeny class as this shows 

us what each sire is capable of producing; this 

is when I am looking for peas in a pod so to 

speak. 

I take great pride in awarding ribbons and 

there is nothing more rewarding for the breeder 

than when they are placed in the show ring. The 

biggest moment is the awarding of the Supreme 

Champion and I love the moment when I 

approach the owner of the alpaca and see the 

sense of achievement and joy on their faces. 

When I step into the show ring, I try to clear 

my mind of everything else and judge what I see 

– not what I expect to see or hope to see. What 

is more, coming from Australia back to the land 

of my birth, I shall have no preconceptions at all 

and greatly look forward to the opportunity of 

judging some of England’s fi nest alpacas. I am 

convinced that alpaca garments, either in pure 

alpaca or combined with other natural or man 

made fi bres, have a very bright future and that 

is why I enjoy the privilege of judging. The more 

the industry is encouraged to compete in a fair 

and friendly manner, the higher the quality of a 

country’s herd will become. In that way we all 

benefi t. 

Showing Suri 

Alpacas 

Maggie Krieger 

Suri Alpacas have for years been exhibited 

in the Alpaca show ring in South America 

but have only relatively recently been 

introduced to the alpaca show ring in 

other countries of the world. The delay in their 

introduction to exhibition and show competition 

outside Peru has probably been due to a couple 

of factors. Firstly they have been extremely rare 

outside of South America until the importation 

trends of the last fi ve years or so. Secondly the 

numbers that have been available for competition 

have been so limited that it has hardly been worth 

while competing since numbers of participants 

in any competitive scenario dictate the value of 

winning. 

From the actual practical aspect of showing 

a Suri there is no difference between the 

methodology of taking a Suri into the show ring 

versus a Huacaya. The principles are all the same. 

However the temperament of the Suri is different 

to the Huacaya and if you ask any Suri breeder 

that has show experience with both they will 

confi rm this statement. From the point of view of 

the judge it can easily be seen that the Suri has 

a more fl ighty and nervous disposition, lending to 

its general reputation of being diffi cult to handle in 

the show ring. 

This creates a problem when it comes to the 

hands on physical restraint of the Suri alpaca. It is 

highly advisable and essential at the outset of a 

Suri’s show career to invest a bit of time in training 

it to behave appropriately prior to exposing it to 

the showring. I have experienced many a situation 

in the showring that has lead me to believe the 

introduction of some Suris to this weird and 

unnatural environment has come as a huge shock 

to the alpaca. No prior training and even in some 

extreme cases no prior handling has happened 

for the poor alpaca before exposure to the ring 

situation. To my way of thinking it is simply cruel 

not to prepare the alpaca in some way for what it 

will encounter on show day. 

There are countless ways to train your Suris for 

the show ring and it is not my intention to give you 

a quick lesson here. There are many authorities out 

there that can teach you how to do this training; 

Marty McGee and John Mallon are but two of the 

experts that come to mind. My recommendation 

is to address training for the show scene very 

seriously not only for the sake of your alpaca’s 

health and welfare but also for the safety of fellow 

handlers, show personnel and last but not least 

the poor Judge. It is the Judge that has to evaluate 

the alpaca and if it is uncontrollable how can 

he/she possibly get an impression of quality if it 

cannot be scrutinized either from afar or close up 

because it is throwing itself around in a wild and 

crazy frenzy? 

There is nothing more eye catching than a 

group of suris with fully grown fl eece, walking 

around a showring with their fi bre almost touching 

the ground and fl owing around them, shimmering 

with lustre and waving as they move. Add a little 

breeze to the picture and the motion of the fl eece 

around them becomes spectacular to watch. But 

the price of this aesthetic quality is a conundrum 

for industry and breeder alike, which I will go into 

once I have described what is looked for in terms 

of Suri quality in the show ring. 

In terms of conformation and balance we are 

searching for the perfect alpaca in the show ring. 

Perfect conformation and balance means that the 

body parts of the Suri fi t together in a size and 

proportion that is both functional and pleasing to 

the eye. Correct proportion has traditionally been 

considered to be where the length of the legs 

equals the length of the neck and is two thirds the 

length of the back or topline. Eyeballing correct 

proportion from the side view of the Suri should 

depict a rectangle formed by the legs in the front 

and rear and the belly on the top and ground 

on the bottom as shown in Fig. 1. Although size 

varies tremendously according to the age of the 

alpaca the adult fully grown animal should not 

measure any less than thirty two inches at the 

withers (Shoulder area). So far there has been no 

maximum size determined for either Huacaya or 

Suri. The balance and proportion for the Suri is 

the same as that of the Huacaya type alpaca (see 

fi g 1). 

I have been questioned in the past on what the 

conformational differences are between the Suri 

and the Huacaya. From my understanding of the 

Peruvian Suri (the country considered to be the 

source of all Suris) there is no major difference in 


alance and proportion however the muzzle does 

have a slightly different profi le than that of the 

Huacaya. The confi guration of the mouth looks as 

if the nose had been pushed down and forward 

fractionally so the upper lip overhangs the lower 

a little more than the Huacaya’s profi le. I have 

observed this seems to be the case where the 

fi ber is more typical of the Suri style as well. 

Suri fl eece characteristics are the main 

phenomena that distinguish the Huacaya from 

the Suri. The classic fl eece style for the Suri 

is considered by the Peruvian breeder to be a 

lock style that exhibits ringlet formation and 

independent locks that form to the skin of the 

alpaca. Crimp found in the Suri fl eece is indicative 

of a crossbred animal that carries neither Suri nor 

huacaya fl eece style but rather a mixture of both. 

High lustre is also a trait that distinguishes true 

Suri phenotype. When I questioned Suri Breeders 

at the National Show in Peru 2001 about why they 

bred for this fl eece style in the Suri, I was told that 

it was indicative of great fi neness and density and 

therefore production was high volume off this style 

of alpaca. It follows that the higher the volume and 

the fi ner the grade the more fi nancial return on the 

fl eece. So this fl eece characteristic relates directly 

to the amount of income the breeder will make 

from fl eece production - a relevant issue when you 

participate in a fi bre production industry! 

The aforementioned conundrum comes into 

play at this point because the ideal style of Suri 

fl eece exists naturally and can easily be seen 

when opening and examining the fl eece. However 

with the knowledge that this is the ideal fl eece 

style for Suri some breeders have learned that 

they can hoodwink the judge into thinking their 

fl eece is naturally this style if they spend hours 

separating each lock of the fl eece into a unit and 

falsely create the ringlet effect by curling it with 

hair curlers prior to show. Any wandering fi bers 

that do not stay in the ringlet unit are removed 

in a process called “stripping”. This is where the 

extraneous fi bers are literally torn of the alpaca 

and disposed of. To complete the picture of 

the ideal fl eece a little mink oil or some lustre 

enhancing substance is sprayed on the fl eece. 

Lustre is enhanced but the hand of the fl eece is 

completely undetectable once it has been sprayed 

in this fashion. With a coating of oil left over the 

judge’s palm after attempting to feel hand of this 

fl eece, it will make it impossible to accurately 

assess the hand of the fl eece. 

I do not know of any show rules in the world 

that condone this practice and cheating in this 

manner is extremely diffi cult for the judge to detect 

in the show ring. One may ask how we know this 

practice takes place? Well when the odd curler is 

accidentally left in the alpaca it is a little hard not 

to know! However as education begins to make 

the difference in the show arena the cheating 

show person/breeder will loose out because 

discriminating, knowledgeable and educated 

buyers will recognise the inferior suri fl eece and 

simply not pay good money for those genetics in 

the future. 

I am also happy to report that there are many 

breeders out there that do nothing to their Suri’s 

fl eece prior to bringing them into the show ring. 

Those I have mentioned above are fortunately 

in the minority. But as the years go by and 

competition gets more competitive I would really 

hope that this problem does not develop into the 

norm and Suri showing goes the way of sheep or 

dog showing. The Suri poodle does not hold much 

appeal to my imagination. In my estimation the 

natural form cannot be beaten. In addition why 

would anyone in their right mind want to spend 

hours of their valuable time in the pursuit of 

making an animal miserable just to pull the wool 

over the judge’s eyes! 

Life as a Ring 

Steward 

Pete Watts 


Entering a show ring with your ‘well trained’ 

alpaca is not to be taken lightly. It’s the 

fear of the unexpected. It’s the vision that 

your alpaca may decide that today he 

or she is not going to ‘play ball’ and it’s time to 

have fun. Is the judge going to be kicked, or worse 

still are you going to be dragged around the ring 

with all of the people looking on at the excellent 

entertainment. Is someone going to get a face full 

of glob? OK, I know alpacas are far better behaved 

now than they were several years ago, and I agree! 

However, there are still those nagging worries in 

your mind, no matter how well you trained them 

over the past months. 

So who am I? I’m the one in the white coat, 

with the judge in the ring, you know, the one who 

gets in the way just as you are about to take that 

picture of the handler and your prize winning 

alpaca in that perfect pose. 

OK, I’ll admit that I was just as apprehensive 

as anyone when fi rst taking on the role of Ring 

Steward. The fi rst time I was given the job, I had 

the rule book placed in front of me about an 

hour before proceedings commenced, and was 

told “learn this, it’s your job”. Having turned into 

a quivering jelly, I approached the judge asking 

where she wanted the alpacas to walk when 

entering the ring. I was given a route march that 

only a fully trained SAS person could remember. 

Was I supposed to be calm? Darned right I was. 

I found that everyone else in the ring was 

probably worse than me – that gave me comfort 

strangely, so I knew that from that moment, the 

Ring Steward had to be like a doctor with a patient 

– be calm, make the handler feel at ease, and try 

and make them smile. 

Positioning yourself when helping the judge is 

paramount – keeping away from those back legs, 

not getting in a position where the alpaca can 

take you for a ride, literally, and watching out for 

anything emerging from that mouth. Those clean 

white coats can really look like a dog’s dinner after 

a nasty bout in the ring, and no one will want to 

talk to you for the rest of the day. I think you will 

agree that it is defi nitely worse than BO or the 

leftovers of garlic from the night before. On the 

other hand it is perfect if you’re waiting for a drink 

at the bar – where is everyone? 

Let’s get serious for a moment. I love the job 

of ring steward, but why? The answer is that I’ve 

made many friends and seen fi rst hand the 



excellent quality of some of our alpacas. 

Another season of shows is about to kick off 

and you’ll be training your alpacas as you read 

this, hopefully. 

Talking of training your alpacas, it’s always good 

to see an alpaca walk calmly across the ring and 

stand quietly while the judge puts his or her cold 

hand in awkward places. But – and here’s my one 

message for you this year – a clean alpaca will 

always impress the judge. This takes several weeks 

with clean fi elds, combined with the obligatory 

last minute picking over. I regularly hear this one 

comment from the judges – they want to see clean 

alpacas free from debris and dags. 

Now is the time to start preparing your alpacas, 

getting them in a clean fi eld as soon as possible, 

and beginning the process of getting them clean. It 

will defi nitely pay dividends. 

I’ve attended two levels of judge training courses, 

which gave me an insight into what the judge 

has to think about when looking at a selection of 

alpacas for the fi rst time. A photographic memory 

comes in handy, good use of the English language, 

confi dence, and plenty of patience. 

I take my hat off to all the Judges who will be 

‘performing’ at our shows this year. The standard 

will be higher than ever and there will be less to 

choose between alpacas in a class. 

Being a ring steward at times requires stamina, 

a sense of humour, and a strong bladder. The 


longest day that I’ve stewarded, was where the 

judging began at 10am and fi nished just before 

8pm with half an hour break for lunch. A long day, 

but a rewarding one, as I was able to work with 

one of the world’s leading alpaca judges, Dr Julio 

Sumar. It was wonderful hearing his comments 

and humour. 

The fun part for me was to constantly remind 

Mr Sumar to make sure he checked the male’s 

genitals, something he probably doesn’t need to 

do in other countries. After a while, my reminder to 

him was shortened to the simple word “Balls”! 

The next day, I was back in Warwickshire, 

Ring Stewarding for the Kenilworth Show. A busy 

weekend. 

I would like to fi nish off by giving you something 

to think about as the Handler/Owner. Here’s the 

handler’s checklist for a successful show but from 

the Ring Steward’s prospective: 

✱ Know your alpaca’s age, you will be asked! 

✱ Get used to showing your Alpacas teeth to the 

judge. (using your fi rst two fi ngers like scissors). 

✱ If your alpaca is a male, have someone put a cold 

hand on his genitals whilst you are holding him 

(gently). Remember, we don’t want any sudden 

lurches forward into the crowd. Whilst you at it, 

get the alpaca used to being touched all over. 

✱ You will be presented with a numbered label 

when arriving at the show - this identifi es your 

alpaca to everyone at the show. Wear it so all 

can read it from a distance. 

✱ Find out when you are ‘on’ and be ready at 

least three classes before. Some classes are 

small, so you might be taken by surprise. Most 

shows should be able to give you a running 

order before the start of the judging. 

✱ When entering your alpaca for a show, make 

sure you double check the date of birth is 

correct, and also be absolutely sure of its 

colour – use the alpaca colour chart if you are 

not sure. Often an alpaca will be entered into 

the wrong class due to an error in its date of 

birth on the entry form. 

✱ Trim the fringe of your alpaca if the eyes are 

covered. You would be surprised how much it can 

affect their behaviour. If they can’t see properly, 

they might kick out more often – they will 

defi nitely benefi t from it in more ways than one. 

✱ If the weather is hot during the show, your 

alpaca will be even hotter than you and more 

unresponsive. Bear this in mind. Keep them as 

cool and calm as possible and well watered. 

The number of shows are increasing and 

because of this, there will be new Ring Stewards 

trained as the season progresses. If you see a Ring 

Steward that is, perhaps, new to the job, you know 

what will be going through his mind. 

For me, being a Ring Steward is a great 

experience. I hope to see you in at least one of the 

forthcoming shows this year. 

Showing Off 

(Part Two) 

Marty McGee 

In the fi rst article I offered some training and 

handling suggestions specifi cally for the show 

ring to include ideas for ring stewards and 

show organisers. In this article I will discuss 

show preparation and training. If you haven’t read 

the fi rst article it may be a good idea to read or 

review it before proceeding with this one. 

It is only fair to recognise that alpacas come 

with a variety of temperaments. Not all alpacas 

cope equally well with the tedium of the halter 

show ring, having said that I think there are lots 

of ways that we can prepare our animals for the 

experience, accommodate their limitations and 

still show them. Before participating in his fi rst 

show your alpaca should be comfortable with 

handling of a basic nature, be comfortable in 

his equipment, and know how to lead. I have 

written numerous articles about basic handling. 

The bottom line is that the more comfortable your 

alpaca feels with you the more he will trust your 

judgement. An alpaca that trusts his handler will 

assume that when you lead him into the show 

ring everything will be fi ne. An alpaca that is 

frightened of people will assume the worst and 

will behave instinctively, primarily the fl ight or fi ght 

response, both of which interfere with showing. 

When preparing for a show many people focus 

only on leading and showing skills, in fact, the way 

you catch and halter your animal even how you 

trim toenails and give shots are just as important. 

Your alpaca decides whether to trust you based on 

how responsibly you behave … period. Investing 

the time to organise your facilities and learn some 

handling skills makes everything easier including 

showing. 

It is critical that you recognise that your 

nervousness is perhaps the biggest problem for 

any alpaca new to the show ring. Nervous handlers 

send their jitters right down the lead line like 

current through an electric cord. Whatever you 

can do for yourself to ease the jitters, do it! Get 

enough sleep, eat breakfast, be as organised as 

you can, get up early enough so you aren’t in a 

hurry and remember to BREATHE! Breathing is 

like yawning – it is contagious. Breathe loudly and 

often and your alpaca will follow your lead and 

take a deep breath. Breathing deeply and regularly 

will help the both of you will relax. 

Practice at home or get together with a group 

of friends at someone’s ranch and stage a mock 

show. Trips to the local nursing home will not only 


brighten someone’s day but will give your alpaca 

valuable experience coping with new situations. 

That said, showing an alpaca is defi nitely the best 

practice for showing an alpaca but there is no 

need to make your debut at the national show, if 

possible pick out a smaller local show for your fi rst 

experience. Ideally your fi rst showing experience 

would be with an alpaca who is a veteran of the 

show ring and bomb-proof. 

Nervous handlers ALWAYS hold too tightly on 

the lead line and don’t offer their animal enough 

space. The judge can see your animal and the way 

he or she moves much more easily if you are a bit 

out of the way. You can control your alpaca with 

your hand a foot or so down the lead away from 

the head. Leading your alpaca from just under the 

chin is annoying for the animal and is more likely 

to negatively affect the gait. 

I have written extensively about halter fi t over 

the years and this issue is critical in the show 

ring. Trying to control the body of an animal with 

the head is diffi cult in the fi rst place, add the 

complicating factor of a long neck and it becomes 

even harder. Trying to control an animal with a 

halter that doesn’t fi t makes it almost impossible. 

In the show ring you need to help your animal stay 

calm and focused. A halter that is too big and 

spins around the head, is too small and ties the 

mouth shut, one that slips off the nose bone on 

to the cartilage compromising the airway makes 

your job twenty times harder. A proper lead rope 

is not nearly as important as your halter but can 

also make a difference. My preference is a lead 

rope with a lightweight hook with a rope that is not 

too skinny. Heavy hooks can be annoying to your 

animal and make it more diffi cult to maintain a 

light connection with the head. Lead ropes that are 

too skinny or too stretchy also contribute to this 

problem. 

Imagine that you have balloons under your 

armpits and eggs in your hands. Pretend you are 

showing a butterfl y. Alpacas resist steady, heavy 



In the photo above the handler is holding steadily and the alpaca 

is using the lead line for balance in order to throw the weight to 

the rear. In the photo below the alpaca is walking in balance with 

the handler. 

pressure and jump, spook, refuse to come forward 

and lean back on the lead rope in response to 

attempts at too much control. GET LIGHT! That is 

a butterfl y on the end of your lead. Periodically 

look at your alpaca’s feet. You are using the lead 

rope to help keep your animal’s balance evenly 

distributed on all four feet. Primarily concentrate 

on the front half of the animal the back half always 

follows! Remember that following each balance 

correction you must RELEASE. Your animal is 

walking a metaphorical tightrope. Pull too hard to 

one side and he will fall off, apply steady pressure 

and the animal simply relies on the rope for 

balance and leans to the outside. The process of 

balancing an animal is constant series of small 

corrections followed by releases. 

Just because you are only interested in showing 

at halter doesn’t mean you can’t benefi t from 

using obstacles as part of your training. Obstacles 

are interesting for your alpaca and build trust. They 

are particularly useful for retraining animals that 

have become bored and soured on the show ring. 

Work together over challenging obstacles and you 

and your alpaca will turn into a team. Something 

as simple as poles on the ground can help a 

frightened scattered alpaca learn to focus but 

more inventive obstacles are also useful. The most 

important thing about obstacles is that they can 

be taken apart and made easier. I like to use clear 

plastic on the ground as a challenge. If the alpaca 

is too frightened to walk on the plastic at fi rst, I 

use two pieces of plastic to create an aisle way. 

I gradually move the two pieces of plastic closer 

together until the alpaca feels confi dent and is 

willing to step on the plastic. Dragging a frightened 

alpaca over scary obstacles is not a good way to 

build trust. 

Teaching an alpaca to stand still can be very 

challenging. Six PVC poles about eight feet long 

arranged in a maze is a great training aid. 

Six poles placed as in this illustration makes a great tool for 

teaching an alpaca to focus. 



Walking over poles on the ground is a great way to help nervous 

or scattered alpacas begin to focus and pay attention. 

Plastic is a terrifi c confi dence builder. If your alpaca is too 

frightened to walk on the plastic at fi rst create an aisle way 

between two pieces of plastic. 

rather than practice misbehaviour. I watched an 

exhibitor at a recent show practicing with her 

alpaca to show his bite. She worked for about 

fi fteen minutes pretty much doing the same thing 

over and over. It wasn’t working. Both she and the 

animal were having a bad time. In the course of 

this practice session her alpaca learned about 

four new escape and evasion strategies. He got 

much better at rearing and plunging than he did at 

having his bite inspected! Practice the same thing 

over and over with no success and you will only 

succeed in hardening your alpaca’s resistance. 

Several times during this ten minute session this 

handler appeared to be making a bit of head way 

(no pun intended) and each time she persisted 

for too long causing her alpaca to begin acting 

the steepest ski run. You will learn survival skills 

rather than fi nesse. Certainly you must work with 

the tough ones but realize that there is a lot to 

be learned by working on your handling skills with 

easier to handle animals. 

A video camera is your best friend. Aim the 

camera at your practice arena and view the tape 

when you have fi nished. You will be able to see 

what you are doing that works and what you are 

doing that is making your animals misbehave. 

Look for indications that you: 

✱ Encourage your animal to rely on the lead rope 

for balance. Is the animal carrying all his weight 

on one side of his body? If so you are holding 

steadily. 

Walk your alpaca into the middle of it and practice 

standing still. Even these subtle boundaries will 

help your alpaca learn to stand still and in balance. 

You may fi nd it useful to use a wand or other 

extension of your arm to give cues from a distance. 

If your alpaca is still having trouble, practice the 

same exercise inside a catch pen. If your alpaca is 

really nervous and cannot stand still at all, walk the 

alpaca around the edges of a catch pen walking 

directly into each corner. With the alpacas standing 

parallel to the edge of the pen in the corner use 

your lead rope to help him stand still for just a 

second or two and then proceed directly to the next 

corner. This will really help to settle a very nervous 

animal. Once the alpaca begins to settle down try 

asking the animal to stand still in the center of this 

small pen. Once you are having some success with 

standing quietly inside a small container move to a 

slightly larger area. Your next step will be to ask for 

the behaviour in the maze inside a paddock about 

the size of a show ring. 

Most handlers ask for too much too soon... 

especially with the pressure of a looming show. 

The only way your alpaca will improve at particular 

behaviour is if you can get him to do it, even 

if it is just for a moment. Trying in vain to get 

your alpaca to stand still for fi ve minutes at a 

time unsuccessfully is not going to be nearly as 

effective as asking the same animal to stand 

for twenty seconds inside the maze and have 

him actually do it! You must build on success 

out. She would have been money ahead in my 

opinion to work for two or three minutes asking 

for less and spending the rest of her time taking 

a walk outside on the grass. Fleece checking, 

testicle inspection and bite examination are not 

exactly fun activities for an alpaca. Practicing 

these things over and over will only cause your 

alpaca to become more resistant. I suggest that 

you take your show candidates for walks, work over 

obstacles, and work at asking your alpaca to stand 

in balance inside the maze for short periods of 

time (one or two minutes tops). We all only have 

so much tolerance for irritation and tedium. Use 

up all of your alpaca’s tolerance before you enter 

the ring and your alpaca will do worse not better. 

Handling animals is a skill and you will improve 

more quickly the more animals you handle. It is far 

better to practice with six animals for ten minutes 

than it is to practice with one animal for an hour. 

If you can, it is also better to practice on animals 

that are commensurate with your handling skills. 

To borrow a ski metaphor, you will not learn to 

be a good skier if you proceed immediately to 

✱ Take your animal out of balance by leading 

with a heavy hand. Does you animal lose his 

focus when you go around a corner or try to get 

him to stand still? If so you are probably over 

correcting. LIGHTEN UP, practice using signals 

that are so light that someone watching you 

would not see the signals as you gave them. 

✱ Notice when your animal is moving freely and 

look at what you are doing at the time. What 

does the lead rope look like? How much 

tension is in the lead line? Look at the hook 

that attaches to the halter. What is it doing? 

If your hook is dangling and pointed at the 

ground you have released pressure on your 

animal if the hook is parallel to the ground you 

have not released and may be interfering with 

your animal’s freedom of movement. 

Alpacas that are relaxed, focused and 

interested can’t help but show better. Show your 

animal to his best advantage and have fun at the 

same time will mean that you ‘win’ everytime even 

if you don’t leave the ring with a ribbon. 


Blood Spinning Service 

Weak newborns or sick cria will benefit 

from plasma given orally or intravenously. 

We can spin down blood from your alpacas 

in a refrigerated centrifuge and provide 

you with stocks of life saving plasma. 

For further details contact Rachel Hebditch 

or Chas Brooke on 01884 243514 or email 

rachel@classicalalpacas.freeserve.co.uk 



Wildlife or 

livestock ? 

Divergent paths for the vicuña as priorities 

change in the pursuit of sustainable development 

The unparalleled success of the international 

conservation effort of the last thirty years to 

recover populations of vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) 

from the brink of extinction has resulted in 

widespread ambitions to derive income from sales 

of its fi bre. Vicuñas are locally abundant in their 

four main range countries, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina 

and Chile, to the extent that competition with 

domestic livestock for grazing resources is an 

increasingly important issue for pastoral altiplano 

communities. A condition for the relaxation of 

international regulations on trade under CITES has 

been that fi bre harvesting should be non-lethal, 

and this has led to the establishment of a number 

of different models for exploitation based around 

the live capture, shearing and release of vicuña. 

Proyecto MACS, a research initiative with support 

of the EU INCO programme has been investigating 

the ecological, economic and social implications 

of alternative management approaches. 

Liberalisation has resulted in different strategies 

emerging in different parts of the altiplano largely 

as a result of diverse policy priorities in the 

different countries. This paper, by Jerry Laker, 

of the Macaulay Institute, Craigiebuckler, 

Aberdeen, reports results from Proyecto MACS to 

demonstrate some of the implications of these 

management strategies for the vicuña and its 

continued conservation. 

A 

coordinated international 

programme of controls on 

hunting and trade in the vicuña 

during a period of some 30 

years successfully averted the danger 

of extinction, and led to a recovery in 

the population and expansion of range 

that still continues. The high value of 

the vicuña’s fl eece continues, however, 

to generate interest in its commercial 

exploitation, and a number of initiatives 

have been established to enable fi bre 

harvesting, under license to the relevant 

CITES (Convention on International 

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 

Fauna and Flora) authorities. The revision 

of conservation policy has generally 

aimed to balance conservation interests 

against the pressing need for economic 

development in rural communities. The 

widely accepted paradigm has been that: 

‘..the greater the equity and degree of 

participation in governance, the greater 

the likelihood of achieving [biodiversity 

conservation] for present and future 

generations.’ (IUCN Sustainable Use 

Specialist Group, 2001). 

The nature of the systems that 

have been established since the fi rst 

relaxation of CITES controls in 1996 

has been diverse, with different levels 

of management “intensity” refl ecting 

different social-cultural realities on the 

ground. Vicuña have already become 

livestock in some areas, while they 

continue to be protected as wildlife in 

others. This paper explores the nature of 

this dichotomy, its origins and possible 

consequences. 

Background 

The vicuña is found at elevations in 

excess of 3700m in a range which 

extends from 9º30’S around Ankash in 

Perú to 29º30’ in the III region (Atacama) 

of Chile (Novoa & Wheeler 1984). 

The vicuña is classifi ed as ‘lower risk: 

conservation dependent’ in the 1996 Red 

List of Threatened Animals (IUCN 1996). 

The vicuña has a long history of 

association with man. Early inhabitants 

of South America began the process of 

domesticating the vicuna some 6000 

years BP in the Lake Titicaca basin of 

Perú and Bolivia (Novoa & Wheeler 

1984). By Incan times, management 

of the wild vicuña was ritualised and 

followed strict rules, which ensured not 

only that the fi bre was available for 

the exclusive use of the Incan Royal 

family, but also maintained a pattern 

of sustainable utilisation of the wildlife 

resource (Ochoa 1994a). Hunting of 

vicuña was prohibited. The harvesting 

of fi bre was a communal activity in 

organised ‘chakus’, with each population 

being captured once in every three to 

four years. By modern standards, these 

chakus were immense affairs – early 

reports describe 20–30 thousand people 

taking part in each chaku, with a catch of 

30–40 thousand head (Ochoa 1994b). 

All types of animals were shorn, and 

some of the males were killed for meat 

for the participants in the chaku. Cloth 

made from the fi bre was highly prized. 

Garments are reported to have been 

worn once only by the emperor, thereafter 

being given away as favours and for 

burned offerings to the gods (Wheeler 

1995). 

This apparently sustainable system 

of vicuña use broke down completely 

with the Spanish conquest. It has been 

estimated that the pre-Colombian 

vicuña population was in the region 

of 1.5–2 million (Flores-Ochoa 1977). 

Though Incan belief systems persisted in 

communities of indigenous pastoralists, 

the introduced Spanish culture along with 

the fi rearms that the colonisers brought, 

recognised no cultural restrictions. With 

increasing pressure from hunting, vicuña 

numbers began to fall. Concern about 

overexploitation was recorded even in the 

16th century by Spanish chronicler Pedro 

Cieza de León, who noted a dramatic 

decline in the populations of both 

vicuña and guanaco in Perú following 

colonisation in 1532 (Flores-Ochoa 


1994). The fi rst conservation legislation 

was issued by decree in 1777 by the 

Imperial Court, when it was ruled that 

it was illegal to kill a vicuña and that it 

was necessary to have a suitable person, 

appointed by a magistrate present at 

captures. Later, at independence in 

1825, Simon Bólivar introduced further 

measures in Perú to prevent hunting 

of vicuña. Acting against this was the 

establishment of new trading links, 

principally for alpaca fi bres, to export 

markets by British-owned companies 

based in Arequipa (Orlove 1977). 

Laws to protect the vicuña continued 

to be introduced. A Supreme Decree 

in 1920 prohibited trade in vicuña 

products, and another in 1926 forbade 

the export of vicuna fi bre from Perú. 

These measures had a limited impact 

on hunting activities, but in 1933, 

controls were relaxed again to allow 

state involvement in licensed vicuña 

fi bre exports. At this time, commercial 

demand and hence international trade 

in vicuña skins increased, such that 

as a result numbers began to crash 

dramatically. In the period 1937–1965, 

imports of vicuña fi bre to the UK, the 

principal market, averaged 1270 kg per 

year, equivalent to the production from 

some 5500–6500 individuals. Over 

the same period, the vicuña population 

appears to have fallen from 400,000 in 

the 1950s to about 10,000 individuals 

in 1967 (Wheeler & Hoces 1997). The 

population estimates at this time are 

likely not to be particularly accurate, but 

it seems clear that the surge in pressure 

on vicuña stocks caused a rapid decline, 

and exposed the species to a real risk 

of extinction. Fibre continued to be 

traded openly (approx. 350kg/yr) until 

1970, when international restrictions on 

trade were enforced, and conservation 

measures were agreed multilaterally 

by the signatories of the fi rst Vicuña 

Convention. 

The vicuña as agent 

of sustainable 

development 

There is widespread belief that 

sustainable use of vicuña for its fl eece 

through appropriate management has 

great potential to contribute both to the 

long-term conservation of the species 

and to the economic development of 

Andean communities sharing the same 

land (Sumar 1988; Torres 1992; IUCN 

1996). This principle is formalised in 

the 1978 Vicuña Convention, though 

it was not until 1996 that capture and 

shearing on a legal commercial basis 

began. Exploitation of the vicuña is now 

practised to a greater or lesser extent in 

all four altiplano countries, though the 

results in terms of development have 

been mixed (Lichtenstein et al. 2002). 

Management practices vary between (and 

within) the countries, apparently as a 

result of cultural, political and land tenure 

Figure 1 Exports of vicuña fi bre from Argentina and Bolivia, 1779 – 1809, 

calculated assuming an average fl eece weight of 250g. After Yaccobaccio (2003). 

Figure 2 Imports of vicuña fi bre by one British company, 1948-1970. 

TABLE 1 Change in the estimated vicuña populations in the five signatory 

countries to the Vicuña Convention since protection measures 

were introduced 

1969 1981 1997 2001 

Peru 10,000 61,900 102,800 118,700 

Bolivia 3,000 4,500 33,800 56,400 

Argentina 1,000 8,200 22,100 33,500 

Chile 500 8,000 19,800 16,900 

Ecuador 0 0 1,600 2,000 

Total 14,500 82,600 180,100 227,500 

(Anon. 1993; Muspratt, Vaysse et al. 1996; CONACS 1997; D.G.B. 1997; Canedi and Virgili 2000) 

differences (Galaz 1998; Lichtenstein et 

al. 2002). 

As many of the indigenous 

communities involved give religious and 

cultural importance to the vicuña, there 

is an extra sociological dimension to the 

dynamics of vicuña ecology (Bernhardson 

1986). The future of vicuña conservation 

is inextricably linked to future economic 

and social change in the altiplano. Vicuña 

may increase in numbers and colonise 

new areas only if left to do so by local 

communities. Tolerance, or the lack 

of it – the trade-off between culturally 

reinforced positive attitudes towards 

vicuña and practical concern for their 

direct impact on forage availability for 

livestock – may be a highly signifi cant 

factor infl uencing vicuña distribution 

(Cueto et al. 1985). In any case, it is 

clear that the conservation of vicunas 

has in general been successful. Table 1 

shows the development of populations 

in the signatory countries to the Vicuña 

Convention since protection measures 

were enforced. 

Conservation activities for vicuña were 

fi rst developed in Pampa Galeras in Perú. 

In 1972, the reserve received support 

from the German Federal Government to 

conduct research, build infrastructure and 

establish a security system through armed 

guards patrolling the 6,500 hectare core 

management zone. The programme proved 

highly successful. Removal of hunting 

pressure resulted in initial recruitment 

rates of 21% per year (Eltringham & 

Jordan 1981). However, by the mid 

1970’s a negative population growth of 

11.3% was detected, possibly caused by 

prolonged droughts and overgrazing (Brack 

1980). In response, a cull was carried 

out in 1977 (120 head) and 1978 (400 

head). This decision involved not only the 

Peruvian authorities, but also international 

conservation agencies – IUCN and the 

World Wildlife Fund – and caused huge 

controversy at the time (Otte & Hoffmann 

1981). The issue brought into stark focus 

the differences between conservationists 

on the one hand and wildlife managers on 

the other. 

In 1980, the National Plan for the 

Rational Utilization of the Vicuña was 

introduced in response to the culling 

controversy. It was recognised that local 

communities should see some return 

for their investment in wildlife protection 

(Brack et al. 1981), and that their 

involvement in conservation would help 

to reduce the level of poaching. 

The project established a new set of 

principles for future management of the 

species by: 

✱ Local community participation 

✱ Technology transfer to the Andean 

campesino for effective management 

of the vicuña 

✱ Generation and organisation of legal 

markets for vicuña wool (based on live 

shearing of vicuña) 

✱ Implementation of housing, health 

and education programmes in the 

campesino communities involved in 

the project. 

Revenue generated by the legal 

commercialisation of the vicuña wool 

would, it was hoped, generate additional 

productive activities for the well-being of 

the population. 

Divergent 

development 

paths for vicuña 

management 

The principles established in Perú 

have underpinned subsequent policy 

development for vicuña sustainable use 

throughout the altiplano. In 1991, the 

law was changed to shift the emphasis 

of vicuña management from protection 

to sustainable use (Ley de promocion 

de las inversiones en el sector agrario, 

Decreto Legislativo No. 653), by 

transferring the custody of the vicuña to 

local communities as well as transferring 

technology and methods for the rational 

use of vicuña wool as a means of local 

socio-economic development. At this 

time, international trade was still heavily 

restricted under CITES (Convention on 

International Trade in Endangered Species 

of Wild Flora and Fauna). The trade ban 

for cloth made from Peruvian fi bre was 

lifted in 1995. 


Health and Welfare Vicuña: Wildlife or Livestock 

In the same year, the government of 

Perú approved a law granting communities 

the right to manage the land used by 

the vicuña, and penalizing illegal game 

practices (Cueto et al. 1985). Local 

communities began by exporting 2,000 kg 

of vicuña fi bre (produced between 1987 

and 1993). The following year, 3,000 

kg (produced from 1994 to 1995) were 

exported. In 1998 the total export was 

2,500 kg. 

The commercial harvest of vicuña was 

pushed harder in Perú than in the other 

three countries because of strong political 

pressure from local communities to be 

allowed access to a potentially valuable 

resource. 

In Bolivia, which has the second 

highest population of vicuña, the 

approach has been more cautious. 

There has been a strong emphasis on 

conservation since the establishment of 

national parks in 1969. Unlike in Perú, 

however, a legislative framework for vicuña 

sustainable use was not introduced until 

1997 (Reglamento para la Conservacion 

y Manejo de la Vicuña – D.S. 24.529). 

Vicuña retain their national heritage status 

– they belong to the state – and as such 

may not be kept in enclosures. Rights of 

use are, however, passed to local altiplano 

communities who have offi cial approval to 

undertake vicuña management (Rendon- 

Burgos 2000). Three pilot centres were 

established: Ulla Ulla, Mauri Desaguadero 

and Sud Lipez, and a programme 

of capacitation was initiated by the 

Ministry of Biodiversity and Sustainable 

Development (DGB) to establish a 

system of wild capture for the benefi t of 

indigenous communities. The objective of 

the Bolivian project was clearly stated to 

involve these communities in decisionmaking, 

though unlike in Perú, the 

government has sought to maintain the 

conservation of the vicuña as the ultimate 

objective of management. 

In Chile, a conservation programme 

was initiated in 1970, at which time the 

national population was estimated at 

500 individuals (Cattan & Glade 1989). 

Protected areas were established in 

Region I (Lauca, Tarapaca). The main 

priority was to stop poaching and illegal 

traffi c of fi bre and to apply the recently 

agreed Vicuña Convention (Miller 1980; 

Torres 1992). With the installation of park 

guards, annual census counts began to 

rise as the population recovered with the 

easing of hunting pressure (Rodriguez & 

Nunez 1987). By the 1980s, the pressure 

was beginning to build for sustainable 

use to be authorised. Several studies 

were carried out to evaluate fi bre quality 

and ways to distribute benefi ts of fi bre 

sales (Fernandez & Luxmoore 1995) and 

a strategy for the sustainable use of the 

vicuña was developed (CONAF 1991). 

It was expected that in the early 1990s, 

the vicuña should be in use by local 

communities (Torres 1992). However, 

the sustainable use by indigenous 

communities has to date never been 

realised principally because of problems 

with agreeing a framework for distribution 

of benefi ts. 

With the successful population recovery 

in Chile, the reality on the ground is 

that conservation has to move forward 

into a sustainable use phase (Bonacic 

et al. 2002). Both the wild capture 

and the captive breeding models are 

being developed simultaneously. A 

pilot programme for breeding vicuña 

in enclosures within their habitat was 

established at Ancara, near the Peruvian 

border, in 1999, and, following relaxation 

of the CITES regulations in 2002, further 

captive management modules have 

been established at a number of sites 

in the region (Urrutia, 2004, Muñoz, 

2004). Production from captive systems 

remains low compared to the wild capture 

modules. For example in 2003, the corrals 

produced 17kg fi bre, compared to 57kg 

sheared from captured wild vicunas. 

Argentina has a population of around 

23,000 vicunas (Torres 1992). The 

pattern of land use and ownership in the 

Argentine altiplano is quite distinct from 

the situation in neighbouring Bolivia. The 

area is extensively settled by owneroccupier 

ranchers, with herds of sheep 

and llamas. 

Vicuña distribution in Argentina 

includes portions of the north-western 

provinces of Jujuy, the main focus, with 

vicuña present in Salta, Catamarca, La 

Rioja and San Juan. The lack of a national 

census and the scarcity of surveys make 


Health and Welfare Vicuña: Wildlife or Livestock 

it impossible to have reliable data on 

total vicuna numbers. However most 

of the researchers in the country agree 

that some populations have increased 

their numbers in the last years while 

others maintained their size (SSN 2002). 

Populations from areas that suffered 

local extinction in the past are slowly 

repopulating. The distribution of the 

species is patchy. The attitudes of the 

local population and the frequency of 

patrols by wildlife guards appear to be 

important infl uences on this, with local 

abundance of vicuña being associated 

with communities which have a positive 

attitude to their presence (Vila 2002). 

Commercial management of wild 

vicunas is currently permitted by CITES 

in Jujuy, however, to date there are no 

records of this having taken place. Vicuña 

utilisation in Argentina takes place on 

farms. The system is promoted by the 

agricultural extension organisation, the 

National Institute of Agriculture and Cattle 

Technology (INTA) Abrapampa, Jujuy. 

This station donates groups of 12, 24 

or 36 vicuñas from their captive herd to 

individual producers. Young vicuñas plus 

10% of their offspring produced under 

captive conditions have to be returned to 

INTA station as a compensation for the 

initial vicuña donation. 

Argentine vicuña production created 

some controversy at the 2002 COP–12 

CITES meeting in Chile. The US Fish and 

Wildlife Service had proposed not to 

allow Argentine fi bre to be imported to 

the US. Their objection was based in their 

concerns about the relation between the 

enclosures and the conservation of the 

wild populations and the genetic fi tness 

associated with the small numbers of 

animals in the enclosures. Trade from 

all producer countries was in the end 

authorised, on the basis that it would 

be practically impossible to differentiate 

traded fi bre from different provenance. 

However, the issue underlines the 

sensitivity of a major market for the fi bre 

to ethical questions related to animal 

welfare and conservation. 

Discussion 

The international conservation efforts 

brought the species back from the 

brink of extinction. As a consequence 

of its success, the vicuña conservation 

programme became one of the most 

symbolic projects in Latin America. 

It is a heartening demonstration that 

governments, international agencies and 

local communities can work together to 

stop species population decline. 

As an example of live harvesting of 

wildlife products, the vicuña is probably 

unique. As an example of the farming of 

wildlife for the harvesting of commercially 

valuable products, the vicuña joins 

a number of other notable examples 

worldwide. Farm systems have been 

established within the last century for 

the production of other wildlife products, 

such as bear bile and musk. These 

predominantly Chinese farms have 

attracted international criticism on animal 

welfare grounds. The combination of luxury 

products with animal abuse is not only 

ethically questionable, but also disastrous 

for product image. Both the bear and the 

deer farms have been the subject of hardhitting 

animal rights campaigns (Shrestha 

1998; Homes 1999). Sustainable use 

of wildlife is likewise under the spotlight 

of international concern for both animal 

welfare and environmental impact (Roe et 

al. 2002). 

So it is that the vicuña producers need 

to be careful not to establish the type 

of production that could one day attract 

such criticism from the animal welfare 

lobby. The nature of fi bre as a product, 

ensures that its provenance is far more 

obvious to buyers than for example bile or 

musk. Consumers are already sensitised 

to environmental concerns about quality 

textiles following extensive publicity about 

shahtoosh fi bre, the fi ne undercoat of 

the Tibetan antelope or chiru (Traffi c 

1999). The campaign to increase public 

awareness of the plight of the chiru has 

had a signifi cant impact on demand from 

the US, and should alert vicuña producers 

to the need to produce fi bre within 

internationally recognised standards of 

‘sustainability’. 

The impacts of capture, shearing and 

release are not well known, especially over 

the longer term (Bonacic et al. 2002). The 

rigorous and unforgiving climate of the 

altiplano may cause signifi cant cold stress 

to animals devoid of the protection of an 

insulating fl eece (Eltringham & Jordan 

1981). 

On the other hand, it is also obvious 

that harvesting systems must be at the 

same time both profi table and practical. 

With problems being encountered with 

achieving expected levels of wealth 

creation, the initial aims of sustainable 

use defi ned during the seventies are 

now being reconsidered. There is still no 

consensus whether the vicuña should be 

managed communally as a wild animal 

or be privatised to be farmed by local 

communities, or indeed other farmers 

outwith the altiplano. In Chile (Galaz 

1998), a series of wild capture-release 

trials were conducted during the last ten 

years. In 2000, a programme was initiated 

of breeding in enclosures on the bofedal 

habitat of the wild vicunas. In Perú, which 

embarked on an ambitious programme 

of enclosure building in the late 1990s, 

opinion amongst the campesinos appears 

to be swinging away from fencing towards 

wild management, as cases of psoroptic 

mange begin to increase in frequency. 

Clearly there is a case for improving 

international collaboration in systems 

development. 

Work within the MACS project 

(Lichtenstein & d’Arc, 2003) suggests 

that in Argentina and Bolivia, neither 

the intensive or extensive management 

options have so far achieved conservation 

or local development goals. Management 

in captivity in Argentina does not provide 

an incentive towards conservation 

of vicuñas outside corrals, and the 

economic benefi ts are limited. The lack 

of progress in commercialising vicuña 

fi bre in Bolivia has prevented campesinos 

from realizing economic benefi ts, and 

incentives for conservation of vicuñas 

by local communities remain elusive. 

However, it does seem clear that while the 

wild management model does have the 

potential to bring development benefi ts, 

the farm model appears to have neither 

the capacity to promote conservation of 

wild vicuña populations outside corrals, or 

to enhance local livelihoods. 

Conclusions 

The management of wild vicuñas has 

genuine potential to augment rural 

incomes in the Andes, and this potential 

is being realised in a number of locations 

where wild vicuña abundance is high, and 

effective property rights agreements have 

been reached. Community involvement 

will probably ensure protection of wild 

vicuña numbers, at least where such 

exploitation is seen to bring real economic 

or community benefi ts. 

However, conservation is more than 

maintaining populations. The concept 

includes protection of landscape, animal 

welfare, genetic diversity, and indeed 

‘wildness’. It is important that these 

secondary benefi ts of wildlife conservation 

remain an integral part of the development 

of commercial exploitation. Farming of 

vicuñas is not sustainable use. Now that 

wild vicunas are out of immediate threat 

of extinction, the breeding of vicunas in 

captivity makes no positive contribution 

to the conservation of vicunas in the wild. 

Enclosures on a larger scale, by restriction 

of free movement of vicuñas over extended 

periods have reduced conservation value 

and create a duty of care for animal health 

and nutrition, the cost of which has to be 

met by improved productivity. 

The extraction of valuable fl eece can 

be part of an integrated management 

system for these wild places, enhancing 

people’s lives by sustaining the protection 

of wild landscapes and traditional 

culture. The principles for this are already 

central to international conservation 

policy but the realisation of such ideals 

as a recognisable model for vicuna 

management has yet to be achieved. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

The author would like to thank the other members of 

the Proyecto MACS team. In particular: Dr Gabriela 

Lichtenstein, Prof Desmond McNiell, Dr Cristian 

Bonacic,Prof Iain Gordon, Dr Hugo Yaccobaccio, Vet Med., 

Pia Bustos. Proyecto MACS receives funding from the 

European Commission INCO-DEV research programme. 



The Alpaca 

Fleece Industry 

John Gaye shares his personal view following 

the latest events to overtake BAFCo 

Most British breeders will 

be aware of the wonderful 

qualities of their animals’ 

fi bre and will have 

experienced the silkiness of handle and 

warmth of alpaca garments. They will sing 

the praises of the fi bre to all those to 

whom they speak and will talk about the 

various outlets that are available for the 

further processing and manufacturing of 

the fi bre from their animals into products. 

However statistics tell a very different 

story about the enthusiasm amongst 

breeders for supporting the various 

initiatives that have started up over the 

last few years. 

Back in 1999 the British Alpaca Fibre 

Co-operative was set up with a view 

to uniting the whole industry behind 

one specifi c initiative and preventing 

fragmentation. It got off to a great start 

with much enthusiasm and some very 

high-powered support. Most of the larger 

breeders, and many of the smaller ones, 

were involved and put considerable 

money and energy into its launch. 

The aim was to keep control of all the 

processing and manufacturing so that 

members of the Co-operative would 

benefi t by the added value of selling the 

product rather than raw fi bre. 

During the last few years other 

initiatives have started, some with more 

success than others; some breeders have 

got together to make woven material, 

others have made arrangements with 

hand spinners, a few have gone much 

further by investing in mini-mills and 

there are now a couple of larger mills 

successfully processing alpaca fi bre and 

turning it into yarn. These initiatives might 

be seen as a distraction from the original 

purpose of the Co-op and will certainly 

have provided some form of competition 

and inevitable fragmentation. However, 

having enquired about the amount of 

fi bre that is put through these various 

initiatives, it is amazing to discover how 

little fi bre is actually being processed 

and it would seem that these initiatives 

have not been very signifi cant in terms of 

competition for fl eece. 

If in 2004 there were, conservatively, 

about 12,000–15,000 animals in the 

UK each producing, again conservatively, 

about 2kgs of fi bre then there should 

have been about 24–30 tonnes of fi bre 

available. Where on earth is it? Last year 

the Co-op took in 3.7 tonnes, UK Alpaca 

took in about 3.5 tonnes and the busiest 

mini-mill in the country estimates that 

they cannot have taken more than about 

2 tonnes in the year. That means that 

more than 50% of the fi bre from British 

alpacas in 2004 was not utilised in any 

form for the benefi t of the breeder or, 

more importantly, it did not go to support 

any of the many initiatives that have been 

set up for the industry. It is probably 

sitting in barns, attics or sheds doing 

nothing. 

One of the casualties of this 

indifference has been the Fibre 

Co-operative. Although the Co-op’s 

AGM has yet to take place its board 

is recommending that it be put into 

mothballs until there is a better ground 

swell of support from those who breed 

alpacas. As the Co-op Chairman has 

written: ‘… with hindsight the Co-op is 

not seen by the majority of owners as a 

critical component of the alpaca 

industry …’ 

The Co-op has received some very 

generous support from a few breeders 

and a great deal of hard work has 

produced some good building blocks for 

the future. But without working capital 

and without substantial quantities of 

fl eece it could not continue to operate on 

a commercial basis. This is a huge shame 

as the committee and its chief executive 

have put in place some substantial and 

important achievements: 

✱ It had a fl eece collection process that 

worked and could cope with tonnes of 

fl eece 

✱ It had a proven processing contract 

that stores, records incoming fl eece 

and produces quality tops 

✱ It had identifi ed and put in place a 

commercial partner who could take 

even the poorer qualities of fi bre and 

utilise them in a practical way for 

rugs, carpets etc as well as for the 

better quality fi bre being turned into 

garments. 

✱ It had identifi ed a member who had 

volunteered to supply professional 

warehousing, packing and despatch 

and an inventory control of fi nished 

products. 

It also had many other achievements that 

boded well for the future including: 

✱ An embryonic sales network 

✱ An expanding customer base 

✱ An introduction to the Japanese market 

✱ An opportunity to submit for a grant 

application 

✱ Eligibility for DEFRA matched funding 

All of these achievements will now be 

moth balled and why? Because at the 

end it was only being supported by less 

than 10% of alpaca owners. The business 

plan on which the Co-op was working was 

relatively modest in its assumptions. It 

needed 5 tonnes of fl eece annually and 

working capital of £90,000. It received 

3.7 tonnes of fl eece and just £55,000 

capital with which to work. 

If, as a result of the AGM, the Co-op 

is mothballed then there will still be 

plenty of potential for someone to take 

the knowledge, experience, contacts 

and support gained over the last few 

years forward. But sadly it would seem 

that at this stage that is unlikely to be 

forthcoming in the near future. 

So what do we do with our fl eece 

now? The fi rst thing that breeders must 

appreciate is that the onus is on them. 

They must learn how to sort and grade 

their own fl eeces through workshops which 

have taken place frequently over the years 

and will no doubt continue to be held 

by breed societies and others. Then at 

shearing time they must put into practice 

the lessons learnt. Talking to shearers they 

tell an interesting story about the lack 

of knowledge and indifference shown by 

many of their clients. 

Breeders must then utilise their fi bre; 

either by developing their own contacts 

with spinners, weavers or others or by 

supporting one of the existing initiatives 

that are available to ensure that the 

fl eece is put to good use. There are 

breeders who through their own efforts 

have had garments made for them to 

sell on – this is an excellent way to show 

potential alpaca owners that there is a 

market for the product and it also can 

produce an income from the fi bre that 

can be signifi cant. 

If however time and resources do not 

allow for this sort of private enterprise 

then owners of alpacas must accept 

that and support one of the existing 

enterprises and not look for substantial 

income in so doing. The industry needs 

to have product on the market at a price 

that gives the middle men an incentive to 

invest their resources into the processing 

and manufacturing side of the business. 

Only in this way can progress be made. 

Breed societies come in for a certain 

amount of fl ack with some owners saying 

that they should be supporting the 

industry by investing members’ money 

into the fi bre industry. This may one day 

come about but it is not in the remit of 

either breed society at the moment and 

“If, as a result of the AGM, the Co-op 

is mothballed then there will still be 

plenty of potential for someone to take 

the knowledge, experience, contacts and 

support gained over the last few years 

forward. But sadly it would seem that at 

this stage that is unlikely to be forthcoming 

in the near future.” 

for the moment is probably best kept at 

arms’ length. However for those who were 

not around at the time it is interesting 

to appreciate that the Co-op was set up 

originally as a result of an initiative of 

the BAS. 

The likely demise of the British Alpaca 

Fibre Co-operative will be a blow to many 

breeders, not least the few that invested, 

for the benefi t of the industry, substantial 

sums of money to attempt to make it 

work. In addition there are many long 

standing alpaca owners, who have been 

involved in the development of the Co-op 

and supported it through thick and thin 

either fi nancially or through the donation 

of their valuable time, who will be very 

disappointed with this outcome. 

The alpaca industry needs a 

successful outlet for its fi bre whereby 

income from the sale of fl eece can 

sustain the price of the animal in the 

long term. The original vision of the 

Co-op – to add value through the control 

of processing and manufacturing – still 

holds true as a way to achieve this. What 

is now needed is a white knight who has 

that vision, but also has the resources, 

the acumen and the confi dence to take 

the ball and run with it and gain the 

enthusiasm and support from a much 

greater proportion of alpaca owners than 

previously. So much has been achieved 

over the years in putting in place the 

knowledge and experience; it would be 

a real sadness not to exploit that for the 

benefi t of all alpacas and their owners. 


ON PULL 

THE 

Some things you can buy just by dropping 

into a dealership and choosing the one 

you want without having to do too much 

thinking – although that certainly isn’t 

the case with trailers. 

Ignore this golden rule, and you could end up 

with a hefty fi ne, or could fi nd yourself driving 

round towing a potential death trap. 

First things fi rst though as stage one is 

defi nitely working out what it is you’re going to 

put in your trailer. Obviously you’ll be transporting 

livestock, but it goes without saying that as soon 

as you get the trailer home you will fi nd a hundred 

and one additional uses for it. Do you buy furniture 

from auctions? Would a trailer come in useful 

from time to time for storage? If you answer yes 

to either question, a small trailer, perhaps from 

Sluis, that will fi t in a few alpacas, may not meet 

your needs, and you may fi nd yourself having to 

upgrade to a lightweight Sluis Stinger or an Ifor 

Williams 510. On the other hand, buying a big, 

heavy trailer, like an Ifor Williams 550 for example, 

may well be too heavy for your vehicle. 

‘When we’re talking to customers we always ask 

how big their animals are and what they’re going 

Of course a lot of farmers have a 4WD vehicle, 

which tend to be up to the job for most agricultural 

trailers, but not everyone does and if you’re driving 

around in an Astra, for instance, you may fi nd that 

if you’re going to pull your desired load safely, 

you also need to go out and buy a decent towing 

vehicle. 

‘If you do have an accident and you’ve not 

kept to the rules your insurance won’t cover you 

for a start and there could be other penalties,’ 

Scott says, ‘which is why we supply a booklet that 

teaches people about the proper weight ratios.’ 

So assuming you know what you need the 

trailer for and you know you can pull that particular 

load, is it worth getting a trailer tailor-made or is 

a standard model from a tried-and-trusted range 

going to satisfy your needs? 

From several years of meeting up with 

manufacturers at shows, it is fair to conclude that 

getting a made-to-measure model is going to be 

out of the reach of most alpaca breeders; indeed 

the whole concept of tailor-made trailors really 

only comes into its own in the fi eld of 14-tonne 

grain trailers, as manufacturers tend to build them 

to order. 

If you’re thinking 

of buying a trailer 

and you don’t know 

your MAMs from you 

B+Es, you defi nitely 

need a revision 

course, writes 

Howard Dobson 

to be pulling their trailer with,’ says Scott Cowup 

of South West Trailers Ltd, a regular at agricultural 

shows, and a real stickler for quality of service. 

‘You see the combined weight of the vehicle, 

trailer and animals all mounts up and if it’s not 

distributed right you could be in for problems.’ 

As a rule of thumb, Scott says the weight of 

the trailer and what you’re carrying should be no 

more than 80 per cent of the weight of the vehicle 

– but of course that is just a guide not a defi nitive 

calculation. 

‘If you exceed the maximum weight,’ he 

continues – and it is defi nitely worth talking to an 

expert on this one, ‘you get to a certain speed and 

the trailer can start to govern the car’s direction 

and make it snake across the road.’ 

That takes us to the opposite extreme; if we’re 

thinking about making our money go as far as 

possible isn’t it just better to look out for the right 

kind of model being advertised second-hand in 

the local newspaper or at an auction mart? 

Ask this question to a dealer, trailor 

manufacturer or well-seasoned owner and the 

response is usually the same: ‘There’s not a great 


deal to a trailer – but what there is has to be 

checked and has to be right.” 

Just like a car, a trailer has to be serviced 

regualarly to remain roadworthy, and although 

a second-hand model may look good on the 

forecourt with a new fl oor and sound bodywork, 

underneath it may have a damaged axle - which 

will affect the suspension and could injure any 

animal travelling in it. 

When buying a second-hand trailer, it is 

certainly worth putting your animals’ safety fi rst 

and buying from a reputable dealership, and 

preferably one which says it puts all trailers 

through a multi-point check before offering them 

for sale or auction. 

That just leaves one last thing to check out 

– which is basically the driver of the vehicle. Did 

you know that drivers who passed a car test on 

or after 1 January 1997 are required to pass an 

additional driving test in order to gain entitlement 

to category B+E and all larger vehicles. In addition 

to the new driving tests, it is worth pointing out 

for the sake of completeness, the drivers of 

vehicles which fall within subcategories C1, C1+E, 

D1 and D1+E also have to meet higher medical 

standards. 

For an immediate guide to what the letters 

mean, look at the pictures on the reverse of your 

plastic, credit-carded sized driving licence. If you 

don’t have the car plus trailer graphic, you’re going 

to have to take another test. 

All drivers who passed a car test before 1 

January 1997 retain their existing entitlement to 

tow trailers until their licence expires. This means 

they are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and 

trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes MAM 

(Maximum Authorised Mass); and they can also 

drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kgs MAM. 

Although this can be seen as a nuisance, by 

and large you are protecting yourself and your 

animals by learning about the practicalities of 

how to reverse properly and without, for one thing, 

depreciating the value of your investment by 

causing unnecessary damage. 

A number of agricultural training centres now 

offer this test; for example if you are based in the 

North West you could take a course run by the 

Northern Rural Partnership at Clitheroe Auction Mart. 

As with all areas of farming these days, nothing 

is ever as straight-forward as it used to be, but by 

getting things right you know you are staying on the 

right side of the law and getting a good deal at the 

same time. 

More information 

South West Trailers Ltd 

www.southwesttrailerslimited.co.uk 

Directgov – Towing a Caravan or Trailer 

www.direct.gov.uk/Topics/Motoring/ 

TowingACaravanOrTrailer 


Baby 

it’s cold 

outside … 

Paul and Sally Taylor have been raising llamas for 

thirty years. They live in the United States, near 

Bozeman, Montana, about an hour away from 

Yellowstone Park. Paul describes a breakthrough in 

freezing camelid embryos, how it happened and how 

it will affect you. 

We began to be interested 

in embryo transfer in 

llamas about 1990. It was 

about that time that I fi rst 

learned about some of the advantages 

of importation of embryos, something 

that was by then a routine practice in 

cattle and goat breeding. Importation of 

embryos was cheaper than importation 

of the live animals, and much safer from 

an animal health point of view, but the 

thing that captured my attention was 

that an imported embryo didn’t increase 

the population in the importing country. 

Each imported embryo had to be carried 

by a reproductively normal female, and 

she would likely be pregnant with a cria 

in any case. 

We hoped ET could compete with 

importation of the live animals before 

importation destroyed the market for 

llamas in the US. Very little was known 

about ET in camelids at that time. 

A few ET cria had been produced by 

researchers in Scotland, but there was 

precious little practical knowledge 

about it. 

We were soon caught up in this 

exploration of uncharted territory, 

eventually building a small clinic and 

laboratory at our mountain ranch and 

purchasing a very good ultrasound 

machine. We learned about rectal 

palpation and the details of reproductive 

physiology in llamas, not by reading but 

by experimentation. Many thousands of 

hours of basic research went into this 

project in the years that followed, and 

I can remember Sally breaking down in 

tears when we saw our fi rst ET pregnancy 

on the ultrasound screen. 

Since that time, late in 1993, we 

have produced over 300 live llama and 

alpaca cria by embryo transfer, both 

here in the US and in projects in Chile 

and Argentina. We were the fi rst to get 

an alpaca cria carried by a llama, and 

we now have our names on several 

important scientifi c papers about early 

reproduction and embryo transfer in the 

South American camelids. 

During all of this time, I was working 

to develop a practical method for 

freezing these embryos, and this turned 

out to be the most diffi cult problem 

of all. The embryos we could get from 

llamas and alpacas without resorting 

to surgery were at a later stage of 

development than the embryos of cattle. 

Camelid embryos start their development 

in the oviducts, just as bovine and all 

other mammalian embryos do. The 

fi rst few cell divisions after fertilisation 

happen inside the zona pellucida, 

the capsule surrounding the ovum. 

Eventually, in a matter of a few days after 

fertilisation, the embryo expands and 

breaks out of this protective capsule in a 

process that is called hatching. 

The difference in camelids, and 

it is a huge difference, is that some 

mechanism retains the early embryo in 

the oviduct until after it hatches out of 

the zona pellucida. Early bovine embryos 

pass into the uterus about 4 days after 

conception, and they don’t hatch until 

about 8 days, so there is a big window 

of time when they can be fl ushed nonsurgically 

from the uterus with the zona 

still intact. Llama and alpaca embryos 

mature faster, hatching at about 6.5 

days after the breeding, or only about 5 

days after conception. Only then are they 

released into the uterus where they can 

be obtained by a simple fl ush. 

OK. Why is it so important to freeze 

embryos anyway, and why is it so 

important to get embryos still in the 

zona? Aside from the extra convenience 

and effi ciency of being able to freeze 

embryos for transfer at a later time, 

which allows cattle breeders to fl ush 

embryos year round and transfer them 

all at a time when the resulting offspring 

will be born in the spring, the fact is 

that only frozen embryos are eligible 

for international movement. This is 

because animal health authorities 

can’t feel confi dent that an embryo is 

truly disease-free unless they can hold 

the embryo for a month or so after 

collection and then re-test the donor 

animals for the diseases of concern. A 

donor animal could have been exposed 

to Foot & Mouth Disease a few days 

or a few hours before the fl ush that 

produced the embryo. It takes at least 

several days after exposure to FMD 

before the animal’s immune system 

reacts by producing antibodies to the 

disease, and it is these antibodies 

that the tests detect. It is not possible, 

with current technology, to hold a fresh 

embryo in culture for 30 days, so the 

only possibility for legal international 

movement of embryos is if they are 

frozen at the time of collection. 

Freezing of a bovine embryo with 

zona is a relatively simple and effi cient 

matter. In fact, successful freezing of 

just about any mammalian embryo, 

while it is still in the zona, is routine. The 

freezing of hatched embryos, however, 

even hatched bovine embryos, has been 

all but impossible. The basic reason for 

this, I came to understand after ten years 

of research, is the greater amount of 

water inside the hatched embryos and 

the larger size of these embryos. Size 

matters because: 

✱ freezing protocols depend on osmosis, 

the natural migration of molecules 

through a membrane, to get 

cryoprotectant molecules (ethylene 

glycol, glycerol, etc.) into the living 

cells where they can protect against 

damage from ice crystal formation 

✱ these osmotic movements proceed 

at a fairly constant rate per unit of 

surface 

✱ the ratio of volume to surface 

increases dramatically as the 

diameter of a sphere increases. So 

it just takes a lot longer for osmotic 

movement of cryoprotectant to 

result in an effective concentration 

throughout a larger embryo than 


it does for a smaller embryo. In 

fact, it takes 5–10 times as long to 

equilibrate (bring the concentration 

of cryoprotectant high enough) in a 

7 day llama or alpaca embryo as it 

does to equilibrate a bovine embryo 

still in the zona 

✱ all known penetrating cryoprotectants 

are toxic to living cells if the exposure 

time is too great. 

A hatched blastocyst, the kind of 

embryo we get from the llamas and 

alpacas, looks like a little translucent 

soccer ball about half a millimeter in 

diameter. The living part is the spherical 

envelope of cells that surrounds a 

central volume of aqueous solution. 

This envelope is quite fl imsy if you push 

against it, but it is very resistant to 

puncture. It’s almost as if it were made 

of a fi ne nylon mesh. 

It was two years ago that I fi nally 

accepted the fact that it would never 

be possible to freeze these hatched 

embryos unless I could reduce the 

total volume of aqueous solution inside 

the envelope of cells and control the 

concentration of cryoprotectant in that 

volume. Understanding that and actually 

doing something about it were two 

very different things. I wanted to inject 

cryoprotectant into this central volume 

so it didn’t have to migrate through the 

cells I was trying to protect in order to 

get inside, but all my efforts to puncture 

the envelope, even with a very sharp 

glass micropipette, were in vain. 

The standard approach used for 

microinjection through the zona, the 

technique used for injection of a single 

sperm or for cloning purposes, involves 

the use of a holding pipette to suck 

the surface of the zona and hold it 

tight against the opening at the tip. 

This holding pipette is presented from 

one side of the zona while an injection 

pipette is poked at it from the opposite 

side. This just didn’t work in the case of 

a hatched blastocyst. The envelope just 

invaginated ahead of the sharp tip of the 

injection pipette. 

It became obvious that it would 

take a new approach, creation of a 

new device, for injection into and 

aspiration from the central volume of a 

hatched embryo. I tried several different 

approaches to this problem before 

fi nally settling on a combination pipette, 

a holding pipette with an injection 

pipette inside it. This device, which I 

was able to cobble together from items 

I had around the lab and could buy 

at the local hobby shop, I called the 

co-axial micro injection system (CMIS) 

for purposes of scientifi c writing about 

it. In conversations about it with other 

researchers, however, it soon got the 

nickname ‘the Dracula Pipette’ because 

of its suck-and-puncture function. 

Before we could inject into these 

embryos, hardly any of them survived 

any of our freeze and thaw experiments. 

As soon as we got the Dracula Pipette 

Above, from top to bottom: 

A 16 cell llama embryo 

Llama embryo hatching 

A seven day llama hatched blastocyst 

A cross section of seven day llama embryo 

Far left: 

Llama embryo 

up and running it became obvious 

that almost all survived, regardless of 

the specifi c protocol used. No matter 

what type of cryoprotectant or its 

concentration (within a wide range) 

almost all the frozen/thawed embryos 

survived. In fact, only the third embryo 

processed using the Dracula system 

resulted in our fi rst-ever pregnancy from 

a frozen embryo! 

This breakthrough device allowed us 

to inject cryoprotectant directly into the 

central volume of a hatched blastocyst 

and then to remove almost all of the 

resulting fl uid from inside the envelope 

of living cells. This shortened the total 

time of exposure to cryoprotectant 

for these cells and resulted in a 

higher intracellular concentration of 

cryoprotectant at the moment of the 

freeze. Then, immediately after the 

thaw, we could again grasp the defl ated 

envelope and reinfl ate it with a culture 

solution to allow the cryoprotectant 

inside the cells to migrate out in both 

directions, toward the central volume as 

well as toward the outside. 

All that remained was to fi nd the 

very best combination of solutions 

and timing to freeze these embryos 

for commercial uses. We and other 

camelid researchers around the world 

are working on that fi ne-tuning right now. 

Because almost every embryo survives 

the freeze to tell us its story, we are 

fi nally closing in on a protocol that will 

give us virtually the same survival and 

pregnancy rate for frozen embryos as for 

fresh embryos. 

At the same time, llama and alpaca 

breeders in almost every country where 

these camelids exist are applying for 

government permits to allow importation 

of frozen embryos. In the US, UK, EU, 

Chile, Australia and New Zealand, 

regulators are fi nding formal requests 

for importation of frozen llama and 

alpaca embryos on their desks. Within 

a year or two, it should be possible 

to move frozen hatched blastocysts 

of llamas and alpacas to just about 

anywhere from just about anywhere. 

As one longtime alpaca breeder in the 

US put it, ‘This will really change the 

landscape.’ 

Because we have had experience with 

moving live llamas from South America 

to North America, we understand 

two other, less obvious, advantages 

of moving embryos rather than live 

animals. The fi rst is animal welfare. 

No matter how good the intentions or 

what precautions are taken, pre and 

post embarkation quarantines, testing 

and transport are very stressful for the 

animals involved. Almost always some 

die, and the others often suffer negative 

physical and psychological effects for 

years afterward. Embryo collection and 

movement will makes these stresses 

just a bad memory, a relic of the past. 

Also, the movement of live animals 

results in the loss of their genetic 

potential for the exporting country. 

In Peru, for example, buyers from 

Australia and the US skimmed the 

cream of the alpaca breeding stock 

and shipped them out of the country, 

forever damaging the ability of Peruvian 

breeders to produce the fi ne fi bre that 

was a national heritage. By contrast, if 

only frozen embryos had been exported 

from Peru, all of the pre-existing genetic 

potential could have been preserved. 

In the future, there can be several 

centres in each country where fi ne 

alpacas or llamas exist or are wanted, 

to fl ush their embryos for export or to 

thaw and transfer high-quality imported 

embryos. International trade in camelid 

genetics will become routine, and a 

robust world market will open up for 

even the smallest producers of quality 

genetics, no matter where they live. 

I believe that alpaca and llama 

breeders everywhere will give new 

consideration to the possibility of 

doing embryo transfer work themselves 

rather than depending on high-priced 

professionals. As one famous vet who 

had told us that ET in llamas was 

impossible said when I told him we 

had our fi rst ET pregnancy ten years 

ago, ‘Well, it’s not rocket science, is 

it?’ In fact, all it takes is a small hand, 

some sensitivity of the fi ngertips and 

some sensitivity to the animals. The 

supplies necessary are cheap and 

easy to get, thanks to the popularity of 

bovine ET work. A few years back I did a 

demonstration programme of practical 

llama ET in Argentina, in the open under 

rough conditions. This resulted in a 

70% pregnancy rate of the transferred 

embryos. 

ET requires rectal palpation, and at 

fi rst Sally and I were petrifi ed that we 

eventually would rupture the rectum of 

one of our llamas. This hasn’t happened, 

and we now have over 10,000 

palpations behind us. The danger is still 

there and we are still very careful, but 

the record proves that this work can be 

done with very little risk to the donor 

and recipient females. 

Serious breeders of alpacas and 

llamas can put this valuable tool, 

embryo transfer, which holds the 

promise of a tenfold increase in the 

production of select females, to work for 

themselves. Thanks to the breakthrough 

in freezing of embryos they can look 

forward to being able to buy great new 

genetics from anywhere on earth and 

to being able to sell their best genetic 

production to other serious breeders no 

matter where they are. 


Nutrition 

Getting supplementary feeding right in order to 

maximise reproductive potential is a perenial 

concern for livestock keepers. In this, the second 

part of her article dealing with all aspects of alpaca 

nutrition, Jane Vaughn provides practical guidance 

with which to get the job done. 

Feeding different 

classes of stock 

Alpacas in different physiological states 

require different amounts of energy, 

protein, fi bre and water. The information 

below has been based on requirements 

of a non-pregnant, non-lactating adult 

alpaca maintaining body weight. 

Late gestation (last 2–3 months) 

There are no differences in growth 

between males/open females/females 

in fi rst two-thirds of pregnancy. In the last 

three months of gestation there is a mean 

increase in 12% (10–15 %) body weight 

due to foetal exponential growth in last 

trimester. 85% of foetal growth occurs 

after Day 210 gestation. Female alpacas 

gain 12–25 kg during gestation. There 

is a 3 kg weight gain in last 35 days 

gestation, equivalent to a gain of almost 

100g per day. 

Generally, hembras will consume 1.5 

times maintenance energy requirements 

(range 1.3–2 times) during the last 

trimester of pregnancy. The volume of 

feed intake is not physically able to 

increase as the foetus competes with 

gut space. Therefore, feed quality must 

increase. 

In sheep, it has been found that ewes 

that maintain a body condition score 

> 3 have better ovulation/conception 

rates, more wool, the foetus develops 

more secondary wool follicles, the lamb 

is heavier at birth and the ewe produces 

more milk and stronger maternal 

instincts. 

Lactation 

Females require at least 2–2.5 times 

maintenance energy during lactation. Dry 

matter intake may increase up to 60% 

(so eat 2.5% BW as dry matter). 

Growth 

Growing animals require good quality 

feed to gain weight as gut volume 

is relatively small. They will need 

approximately 2–3 times maintenance 


CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION AND VALUE OF GRASS AS IT MATURES 

Note that as the proportion of one nutrient increases in a ration, the proportions of other nutrients must decrease: 

Total ration % = CP % + NSC (sugars) % + NDF % + mineral % + fat % 

energy requirements and will eat 1.8–2% 

of their body weight as dry matter. 

Suboptimal nutrition of weaners will lead 

to low body weight gains and delayed 

onset of puberty. Remember that females 

need to reach 65% of estimated mature 

body weight before joining, and that good 

nutrition contributes to males obtaining 

large testes at an early age. 

Wool 

A breeding female may produce 10–14% 

less wool per year than non-breeding 

females, males and wethers. Wool growth 

is reduced by 30% in the last two months 

of gestation and by up to 50% during 

lactation as nutrients are diverted from 

wool production to foetal growth and 

milk production. Wool contains a lot of 

the amino acid cystine, which is high in 

sulphur. 

Body weight has been used as a guide 

to estimate how much an alpaca will 

eat. Therefore, as nutrient requirements 

increase with changes in physiological 

state, the quality of feed must improve 

to satisfy requirements, or the alpaca will 

begin to lose weight. The table (right,top) 

summarises the quality of feed that 

should be fed to different classes of 

alpacas. 

Guidelines for 

supplementing 

alpacas 

The following guidelines assume that 

there is no pasture available. You must 

combine skills of pasture evaluation with 

body condition scoring to determine 

appropriate supplementation. These are 

rough guidelines only. All new feed should 

be introduced slowly (over a period of 

10–14 days) to allow the microbes to 

adjust to the new substrate. 

Supplement all classes of stock up 

to maintenance requirements with high 

fi bre supplements if pasture is limiting. 

eg oaten hay/lucerne hay 3:1. Ensure at 

least 25% of fi bre is greater than 4cm 

in length to optimise stomach function. 

Animals requiring more than maintenance 

requirements (growth, lactation) but 

unable to obtain them from pasture can 

be supplemented with concentrates eg 

maize/oats/lupins/vitamins/minerals. 

A 70 kg adult alpaca can be just 

maintained on 1.2 kg oaten hay (88 

% DM, 8.7 MJ ME/kg DM, 7.6 % crude 

protein). However, a mixture of 3 parts 

(on a weight basis not volume basis) 

oaten hay and 1 part lucerne hay will 

contain 8.5-9 MJ ME/kg DM and 10-11 

% crude protein. 1.2 kg of this mix will 

provide some safety margin for energy 

and protein needs. 

Growing Crias 

Require 10.5-11 MJ ME/kg DM and 

14–16 % crude protein. An appropriate 

supplement could consist of 2 parts 

oaten hay, 2 parts lucerne hay, 3 parts 

oats, 3 parts lupins. This will provide 

enough energy and protein and calcium 

and phosphorus in a ratio of 1.7:1.0. 

Beware of excess intake when grain 

feeding – introduce feed slowly, do not 

let grain feed build up in the bottom of 

feeders, mix well with fi bre (hay/chaff) 

to reduce the risk of grain poisoning and 

death. 

Lactating Hembras 

Require 10.5–11 MJ ME/kg DM and 

13–15% crude protein. A mixture of 3 

parts oaten hay, 3 parts lucerne hay, 2 

parts oats, 2 parts lupins would satisfy 

energy, protein and Ca:P needs. Again, 

beware of grain feeding. 

Vitamins and 

minerals 

✱ When pasture forms the major 

part of the ration, it is unlikely that 

defi ciencies of most vitamins and 

minerals will occur. 

✱ Vitamin D likely to be limiting in 

alpacas in winter. Supplement alpacas 

less than 2 years old with 1000iu 

vitamin D/kg body weight into the 

muscle in late October/early November, 

and again in January. Supplement 

heavy pregnant alpacas due to give 

birth in late winter 4–6 weeks prior 

to birth to ensure adequate colostral 

levels of vitamin D3 for the cria. 

NUTRIENT DENSITIES OF FEED (IN DRY MATTER) RECOMMENDED FOR DIFFERENT 

PHYSIOLOGICAL STATES 

Physiological State Energy Density Protein 

(MJ ME / kg) (%) 

Adult Maintenance 8–9 8–10 

Pregnancy (fi rst 8–9 months) 9–10 10–12 

Pregnancy (last 2 - 3 months) 10 12–14 

Lactation 10.5 13–15 

Cria (< 6 months) 10.5–11 14–16 

Juveniles (6-12 months) 10 12–14 

> 12 months 9–10 10–12 

SUGGESTED DIETARY MINERAL CONCENTRATIONS FOR CAMELIDS BASED ON 

SHEEP AND CATTLE DATA 

Macromineral Requirement Micromineral Requirement 

% of DM mg/kg of DM 

Calcium 0.2–0.85 Copper 10–15 

Phosphorus 0.16–0.40 Cobalt 0.1–0.2 

Magnesium 0.12–0.20 Iron 50–100 

Potassium 0.5–0.8 Iodine 0.1–0.8 

Sodium 0.1–0.25 Manganese 20–40 

Chloride 0.15–0.25 Selenium* 0.1 

Sulphur 0.14–0.26 Zinc 20–40 

Adapted from Van Saun, 1996 and *Judson (pers com) 

✱ Vitamin A and E likely to be limiting 

when no access to green pick for 

longer than 8 weeks. 

✱ Acid, water-logged soils (annual 

rainfall > 500 mm) contribute to 

selenium defi ciency. 

✱ A diagnosis of mineral defi ciency 

should be made before 

supplementation begins. 

✱ Test 5 of the worst and 5 of the best 

animals most likely to be at risk: 

rapidly growing, young pregnant, 

lactating. 

Body Condition 

Scoring 

Due to the seasonal variability in dietary 

quality and quantity it is essential to 

monitor your animals by body weight and 

body condition scoring. Body reserves 

of alpacas provide an important source 

of energy at critical stages of production 

eg joining, late pregnancy, lactation. An 

accurate assessment of body condition 

score aids optimising nutritional 

management and reproductive effi ciency. 

Body weight is a useful tool for monitoring 

the herd nutrition status, however it can 

vary quite substantially depending on the 

amount the animal has been eating in 

the last 24 hours, and size of foetus if the 

animal is pregnant. Cost of scales and 

stress of excessive handling of animals 

during weighing are other disadvantages 

for this technique. 

Body condition scoring on the other 

hand is a low cost, simple tool to monitor 

the nutritional status of various animals 

in your herd. The most important factor 

is consistency of your scoring which 

can be maintained by constant practice 

whenever you handle your animals (or 

others at shows etc). Simple observation 

of the animal over the hairless areas is 

combined with manual palpation, as 

fi bre-cover hides condition. Write down 

the date and your score each time. 

Based on the 1 (emaciated) to 5 

(obese) system used by the Australian 

Alpaca Association, body condition 

scoring involves palpation of various parts 

of the body to ascertain the degree of 

body fat cover (or lack thereof). Gut fi ll 

and foetal size does not interfere with 

scoring. Ideal body condition score for 

a nonlactating, non-pregnant animal is 

body condition score (BCS) 2.5. 

The fi rst area to feel is the backbone 

near the last ribs. Do not palpate over 

the pelvis, as alpacasinvariably feel 

skinny here due to their lack of muscling. 

The muscles over the vertebrae should 

be fl at (triangular cross section) and 

the backbone palpable for a BCS 2.5. 

Animals that are too thin have concave 

musculature and animals that are too fat 

have convex fat and muscle bulging. 

Confi rm your initial estimate of BCS 

by palpating the ribs at the point of the 

elbow. In an animal of BCS 2.5, you will 

just feel the ribs. Leaner animals have 


Health and Welfare Nutrition Part Two 

more prominent ribs, fatter animals’ 

ribs are more diffi cult to feel, or may be 

unpalpable if very fat. Lastly, observe 

and palpate the hairless areas between 

the front legs and back legs to back up 

your score. 

Maintain non-lactating early and 

mid pregnant hembras in BCS 2.5+. 

Maximum foetal growth occurs in the 

last third of pregnancy. At the same 

time, udder development, an adequate 

supply of good quality colostrum and 

development of hembra maternal 

instincts are affected by nutrition. Aim for 

hembras to unpack in BCS 3. Lactation 

is the most metabolically demanding 

time for hembras. As well as being at 

peak lactation they are also being re-bred 

three weeks after unpacking. Monitor BCS 

through the lactation and if the hembra is 

losing excessive amounts of weight 

(< BCS 2.25), it may be wise to wean the 

cria early. Studies in sheep have shown 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

✱ 

that poor nutrition in mid-pregnancy 

can reduce wool follicle development 

production in the foetus. At weaning, midpregnant 

hembras that are less than BCS 

2.5 should be fed good quality pasture or 

supplemented to gain weight gradually. 

Working machos should be maintained 

in BCS 2.5–3. Machos with a higher BCS 

will not work as well, are more susceptible 

to heat stress when working in hot 

conditions, and will possibly be less 

fertile due to increased fat in the scrotum 

restricting testicular temperature control 

mechanisms. 

Growing animals should be in 

BCS 2.5–3. Ensure they are receiving 

adequate good quality protein (if not, 

they will gain weight by fat deposition, but 

will not grow). 

Non-breeding females, non-working 

machos and wethers can be maintained 

in BCS 2.5. In times of feed shortage, it 

is not detrimental for them to lose weight 

Body condition scores of alpacas 

BODY SCORE 1 

EMACIATED 

very steep angle along spine & curves inward 

ribs are very easily felt 

hard bony v-shaped chest 

very increased space between rear legs 

very little muscle & absolutely no fat 

BODY SCORE 2 

THIN 

spinal slope more that 45 degrees 

ribs can be easily felt 

hard chest with a slight v-shape 

some increased space between rear legs 

some loss of muscle 

BODY SCORE 3 

OPTIMAL 

about 45 degree angle along spine 

ribs felt with slight pressure 

fi rm muscular chest 

chest makes straight line between front legs 

BODY SCORE 4 

OVERWEIGHT 

convex shape between the backbone & upper ribs 

ribs felt with some pressure 

somewhat rounded soft feeling chest 

inner thighs smooth & less defi ned 

BODY SCORE 5 

OBESE 

backbone looks fl at 

fi rm pressure needed to feel ribs 

rounded soft feeling chest 

large area of contact between rear legs 

little or no defi nition on inner thighs 

may have diffi culty walking properly 

Supplementary feeds should only contain good quality ingredients 

gradually. Avoid dropping below BCS 

1.5 by judicious supplementary feeding 

as necessary. It should be remembered 

that wool growth is not compensatory, 

which means that if wool growth slows 

down as a result of reduced feed intake 

(drought, under nutrition) or poor nutrition 

(late pregnancy, early lactation), annual 

wool production will be reduced, even if 

appropriate weight gains are achieved by 

compensatory growth when feed quality 

and quantity are adequate again. 

Heavy pregnancy and lactation are 

very demanding on hembras so females 

should be monitored very carefully during 

these periods. 

Practise and consistency are the most 

important features of body condition 

scoring. 

Rules of thumb for 

energy, protein, fi bre 

and water 

Much of the following applies to an 

adult alpaca that is non-pregnant, nonlactating 

and maintaining body weight. 

✱ Ensure unlimited access by all 

stock to clean, fresh water. The daily 

requirement of water is 50–80 mL/kg 

body weight per day (5–8% BW/day). 

So a 70kg alpaca requires 3.5–5.6 

litres water per day. 

✱ Nutrient determination is done on a 

dry matter basis: 

✱ DM% = dry weight of feed/wet weight 

of feed x 100 

✱ Crude protein for maintenance is 

8–10%. The greener the pasture, the 

more protein it contains. 

✱ Voluntary feed intake estimates for 

alpacas is 1.5% of their body weight 

as dry matter (range 1.0–2.0 %) for 

a non-pregnant, non-lactating animal 

that is maintaining body weight. 

✱ The ration should contain > 40% NDF, 

or 25% CF, of which 25% is longstemmed 

(> 4 cm long). 

✱ 75% of NDF should come from forage 

(pasture, hay) rather than concentrates 

(grains, pellets). 

✱ A rough estimate of fi bre may be 

gained by manually testing breaking 

strength of plant matter. 

✱ Maximise pasture intake. Alpacas have 

evolved on high fi bre diets. Pasture 

mostly contains everything a camelid 

needs. 

✱ Alpacas in different physiological 

states require different amounts of 

energy, protein, fi bre and water. 

✱ Supplement all classes of stock up 

to maintenance requirements with 

high fi bre supplements if pasture is 

limiting. eg oaten hay/lucerne hay 

in proportions of 3:1. 

✱ Animals requiring more than 

maintenance requirements (growth, 

lactation) but unable to obtain them 

from pasture can be supplemented 

with concentrates eg oats/lupins/ 

vitamins/minerals. 

✱ Vitamin D supplementation: 1000iu/kg 

BW intramuscularly to growing 

alpacas: late autumn (late Oct/early 

Nov) AND mid-winter (January). 

✱ Vitamins A and E are found in green 

pastures. 

✱ Determine mineral requirements by 

animal, pasture, hay, grain and soil 

testing. Contact local veterinarian and 

Department of Agriculture regarding 

minerals most likely to be limiting in 

your area. 

BODY CONDITION SCORE ANIMALS 

AND RECORD FINDINGS TO MONITOR 

FEEDING PRACTICES. 



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AGRICULTURE LTD 

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Our customers report 

reduced incidence of skin 

lesions, improved conception 

rates and generally good 

overall herd health. 

For more information on this and other Camelid Care 

products, or details of your local supplier, 

contact Ian Powley on 01900 824105. 


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approx. = 15” medium = 18” large = 

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Tel 01299 896 827 Fax 01299 896 051 E-mail mary@mrharness.co.uk 


I 

learned the craft of spinning in 1986, 

it was one of those things that I had 

always wanted to do but had not had 

the opportunity. I had been infl uenced 

very early in life by my grandmother’s 

collection of fur coats and her teaching 

me to knit. At the time of learning to spin I 

was already into knitting crotchet, tatting, 

macrame and sewing, so it seemed like a 

logical step. 

Little did I realise that what I thought 

would become another hobby would turn 

into the abiding passion that it is today. 

I started my company Handspun Exotics 

with the aim of teaching students to 

spin, and part of that is enabling them 

to recognise how soft, stiff or silky one 

fi bre feels against another. Most spinners 

start off using wool and have little or no 

knowledge of other fi bres available to 

them. Wool varies enormously in feel and 

quality not just from one breed to another, 

but also within one fl eece. An essential 

part of evaluating the raw material for its 

suitability for a given project is being able 

to feel the difference between an older 

coarser fi bre and a young soft one. This 

takes time and is something that comes 

with practice. 

I started spinning exotic fi bres very 

soon after learning to spin as I saw a 

Cashmere Lop rabbit for sale in a local 

shop and just had to have him. The fi bre 

was incredibly soft, almost buttery in feel, 

silky, shiny, and very short. I was hooked 

and shortly after Noggin the Nog came 

home he was joined by Helen, they then 

had Rupert, Bramble, Sid (Vicious) and 

Mattise. Within a few years I had a total of 

twenty-seven rabbits varying in colour from 

fawn, black, blue and white, including a 

couple of Angoras as well. 

It started to become obvious that I 

was spending more time looking after the 

rabbits than I was spinning their wool, 

I also started travelling around more, 

teaching workshops on exotic fi bres and 

giving lectures and demonstrations on 

spinning. Life had moved on and it was 

time to make some changes, I decided 

that as the rabbits got old and died that 

I wouldn’t replace them, and eventually 

some eighteen years later I have none 

at all. 

We toyed with the idea of getting some 

sort of other fi bre animals such as Angora 

goats or alpacas and decided that it was 

not fair to keep animals other than our 

cats as we could not dedicate the time 

and money for their proper upkeep. I also 

realised that it was far more cost effective 

to leave the husbandry to others and just 

buy the best quality fi bre I could afford 

and carry on with what I am good at, 

turning it into beautiful soft luxury yarns for 

one off garments. 

Over the years I have had contact with 

quite a few alpaca breeders and most 

of them wanted to know if I would be 

prepared to spin some of their fi bre for 

them. Most had experienced problems 

getting their fl eeces spun commercially 

because they did not have enough fi bre, 

but they had too much for a handspinner 

to make a reasonable dent in the pile. 

It takes roughly an hour per ounce to 

prepare, spin and ply a reasonable quality 

yarn, so you can imagine how long it 

will take to get through just one decent 

size fl eece. I met an alpaca breeder 

through the spinners guild and started 

experimenting with it, mixing it with other 

fi bres, preparing it and spinning it in a 

variety of ways to get the most out of it. 

I counsel my students to buy the best 

quality fi bre that they can afford and to 

take time to sample the fi bre. By spinning 

it thick, thin, highly twisted and lightly 

twisted they are able to fi nd what is best 

for the individual fi bre, and still suitable 

for the intended project. Thick tightly spun 

yarns tend to be very heavy, making for a 

saggy garment. 

Alpaca like many ‘hairs’ is soft and 

strong with good length and most 

important no grease or lanolin. There are 

problems though, as the animal ages the 

fi bre coarsens, and, as you know, they 

do like a good dust bath, which often 

means the fi bre has to be washed before 

processing. The colours are very dense 

and therefore lighter shades are needed 

to make dyeing effective, and not least it is 

comparatively expensive. The stiffness and 

lack of natural memory make a yarn which 

can, if not sympathetically spun, feel and 

look like three week old road kill. When 

blended with other fi bres the resultant yarn 

can be enhanced and made more cost 

effective. A little soft, good quality lambs 

wool added will give bounce and eke out 

the cost a little. 

For real luxury a few slivers of golden 

Tussah silk blended in and spun will give 

lustre and highlight without affecting the 

softness. I use alpaca a lot for added 

warmth, strength, and for the wide range 

of natural colours available. As with all 

exotic luxury fi bres I take great care that 

the fi bres chosen to go together enhance 

the overall and do not detract from it. 

The length of the fi bre to be blended has 

a huge effect on how to spin the yarns, 

sometimes when a short and long fi bre 

are blended together it is easy to end 

up with them separating back out in the 

spinning process. A technique called 

long-draw can help if the long fi bre is not 

too long, otherwise if the colours are not 

too dissimilar it can be a better idea to 

spin the individual fi bres singly and then 

ply together. 

Another of my favourite ways of using 

alpaca is to keep it 100% in the yarn and 

then knit into a garment using other fi bres 

for support and texture. The photo shows 

a shawl using a high proportion of alpaca, 

silk, cashmere, Australian merino wool, 

and camel down, all in natural colours. 

It is knitted in irregular textured and 

FairIsle patches and sewn together. Woven 

and crotcheted structures do not have 

the tendency to sag as much as looped 

knitted ones and single unplied yarns are 

also easier to work with. Alpaca will felt 

and is best blended with something like 

Merino for a quicker, fi rmer result. 

When preparing alpaca for spinning I 

SPIN OFF 

Alpaca fi bre inspires people to do something 

with it. You can produce your own wonderful 

creations or commission a specialist to 

undertake the work for you. Either way, fi bre 

will need to be processed before anything 

else can begin. Here we read of two different 

approaches. On this page Sue Macniven 

describes her traditional approach to 

spinning whilst on the right we hear from 

Michael Berry about applying affordable 

technology to alpaca fi bre processing. 

This spun,woven and sewn alpaca throw is a fi ne example of Sue Macniven’s work 

look at the length of the fi bre, if it is longer 

than my carders are wide by over an inch 

or so, I will usually comb the fi bre. I have 

a pair of mini wool combs which make 

a good job of this and the end result is 

a long drafted roving which allows for 

spinning without too many joins and a nice 

worsted spun yarn. Typically I will spin a 

two ply yarn with around four to fi ve twists 

per inch and fourteen wraps per inch, not 

quite as thick as a commercial double 

knit. If I blend with wool I often spin a little 

thinner as the wool bounces out and gives 

a thicker overall yarn. If I want a lighter 

yarn that is softer and fl uffi er then carding 

the mass and spinning long draw adds loft 

and airiness. The down side of this method 

is that the resultant yarn tends to wear less 

well and can pill in the fi nished garment. 

Care needs to be taken that any double 

cuts that may be in the clipped fi bre are 

removed before carding to help minimise 

this. When blending two or more fi bres of 

differing lengths it is easier to keep the 

blend from separating by spinning long 

draw so that the twist catches bits of each 

fi bre before the yarn is drafted. 

When spinning two or more singles of 

different fi bre to ply together, in order that 

the yarn be kept stable, it is important to 

make sure that the shortest and therefore 

the weakest yarn is used as the guide for 

the amount of twist. If the longest fi bre is 

used there is a good chance that when 

plied to balance then shorter fi bred yarn 

will become unstable. Therefore it follows 

that the resultant yarn may be more highly 

twisted than it would be for pure 100% 

Alpaca yarn. 

If you are interested in learning to 

spin your own fi bre then why not join me 

on a workshop or invite me to talk and 

demonstrate at your own group meeting. 

Visit www.handspun-exotics.co.uk 


People have been spinning for 

thousands of years, not just for 

two millennia (‘consider the lilies 

of the fi eld: they toil not, neither 

do they spin’), but from well before 

that. The ancient Egyptians used a drop 

spindle to spin, and some people still 

fi nd this a convenient method of carrying 

on their spinning wherever they are. 

Things have moved on, however. There 

has been, over the centuries, an enormous 

range of inventions and variations on 

the spinning wheel that we all know 

and love. We tend to think of this as a 

woman’s activity (remember Sleeping 

Beauty?), and I like to think that James 

Hargreaves came in one day from his 

work as a carpenter, looked at his wife 

sitting spinning and thought, ‘I can get you 

working more productively than that!’. So 

he put his engineering skills to work on the 

project resulting in his ‘Spinning Jenny’. 

Convention, however, claims that his 

daughter Jenny accidentally knocked over 

the family spinning wheel, which continued 

to revolve, and gave him the idea of driving 

eight spindles from the one wheel. 

percentage returned as balls of wool for 

your own use, or for sale. But if you have 

dearly-loved alpacas in your fi eld, and 

would like to preserve the integrity of their 

fl eeces, there are two options. You can 

wash the fl eece, tease it open, pick out 

all the bits of vegetation, card it, spin it 

and ply it yourself – or fi nd someone to 

do it for you. If not doing it yourself then 

you need a willing hand-spinner – or a 

Mini-Mill. 

As a cottage industry, the output of a 

Mini-Mill is obviously limited. The washing 

system can wash 24kg of fl eece in an 

eight hour day, but drying time (and 

space) is a real limitation. The next stage 

is to open the locks of the fl eece, and two 

treatments are added during this process: 

an anti-static fl uid and a cohesive agent. 

These help the fi bre to hold together and 

not to stick to the machines as it moves 

through them. 

The opened fl eece is then hand-fed 

into the fi bre separator, or ‘de-hairer’ as 

it is commonly known. This is a Mini-Mills 

invention which gets rid of most of the 

dirt, vegetation, short ‘second cuts’ and 

Advertising Feature 

Elaine and Wendy’s big new venture 

I was fi rst introduced to alpacas several years ago at the Henley show, and 

instantly fell in love with them. As soon as was possible I managed to gather a 

small herd of alpacas, and was delighted after the fi rst shearing to receive their 

fl eece. My fi ve beautiful boys had dutifully provided a daunting quantity of fi bre. 

I realised if I wanted to create something from them however I would 

fi rst have to learn how to spin. After individual tuition with Sue Macniven, 

to eventually drape a wonderfully warm shawl round my shoulders from 

Paddington was a joy. I have since been spinning successfully for several years, 

concentrating on working with alpaca fl eece only. 

Wendy, a friend who has a long time interest in arts and crafts, joined me 

and together we have been knitting and crocheting items such as scarves and 

wraps using 100% hand spun alpaca fi bre. Recently we branched into weaving, 

producing cushions, small throws and tote bags. It has thrilled us both to fi nd 

that the people who now possess these items are extremely attached to them, 

especially when they know the alpaca donor! 

It was this that convinced us to embark on HAND SPUN FOR YOU, our new 

venture this year. We now offer a service to alpaca owners to have the fl eece 

from a favourite alpaca, whether a family pet or a prizewinner, hand spun and 

crafted into something to treasure. The photographs show a few of the items 

we have made recently. This includes a wrap crochet from the fl eece of Val 

Ridgeway’s Chocolate Chip, an unusual soft fl eece that resulted in beautiful 

natural variations of colour. 

Every fl eece has its own qualities and due to the handcrafted nature of these 

items, each one is unique, and if anyone is interested HAND SPUN FOR YOU will 

be happy to discuss his or her individual requirements. 

That was in about 1760. Two hundred 

and forty years later, we have the fi rst 

half-dozen Mini-Mills in the UK with 

– guess what? An eight spindle spinner! 

But of course, technology has moved on 

a lot in the meantime. Spinning with a 

Mini-Mill is still a ‘cottage industry’, but 

the suite of machinery available now 

enables much faster and more consistent 

processing from fl eece to yarn. Celia’s 

friends from the local Guild of Weavers, 

Spinners and Dyers are amazed at the 

ease and speed with which the same 

operations they perform can be carried 

out by our Mill. 

Large bulk processors will merge your 

fl eeces with many others of a similar 

colour to make a ‘run’ of a size suffi cient 

to be worth starting up their huge historic 

machinery. This is great if you can form 

a group or join a co-operative to have 

your fl eece processed, and have your 

coarser guard hairs from a fl eece. Put 

very simply, hairs which are too short are 

not transferred between rollers but drop 

down through them, and heavy coarse 

hairs, vegetation and dirt are thrown 

out by centrifugal force. The speed of 

the machine is variable, to control the 

‘decision point’ of what size/weight of 

fi bre is kept and what is rejected. This 

operation gets rid of the ‘itchy-scratchy’ 

fi bres that are present – to varying 

degrees – in all alpaca. Even vicuña has 

them, and in Peru women sit round tables 

sorting the fl eeces by hand to pick out 

these hairs. 

The output from the de-hairer is a 

part-carded ‘net’ which is collected and 

hand-fed into the carder (from which 

the de-hairer was designed), where it is 

combed out and the fi bres aligned. This 

is another decision point. Do you want to 

make felt, or yarn? The ‘net’ of 



Fibre Spin Off 

fi bre coming out of the carder can be 

wrapped round a drum until the required 

thickness for felting is achieved, or it can 

be gathered and fed through a ‘false 

twist tube’ to coil as rovings (also called 

‘tops’ or ‘slivers’) into sliver cans, which, 

after further drafting, are the input to 

the spinner. Rovings can also be sold 

to hand-spinners – saves them a lot of 

work. 

Drafting on the draw frame stretches 

out and further aligns the fi bres, while 

combining two or three rovings into 

one, until the thickness required for the 

spinner is reached. Combining rovings 

helps to minimise small inconsistencies 

along the length. 

The sliver cans are then stood behind 

the eight spindle spinner where the fi bre 

uncoils upwards through further drafting, 

spinning, and the controlled insertion of 

twist (too loose and the yarn will fl uff up 

and shed, too tight and it will feel like 

string). The single yarn is wound on to 

bobbins, which are then transferred to 

the four spindle plyer, where two, three 

(normally) or four-ply yarn is created, 

with an opposite twist applied to make 

it bind together. The spinner and plyer, 

producing the fi ne-spun yarn which 

our beautiful alpaca deserves, have a 

throughput of up to 10kg per day, given 

a fair wind and a following sea. That is 

maybe three to four fl eeces. 

At this point we have our fi nal yarn, 

but it now goes to our ‘fi nishing room’, 

where it is steamed and dried (to ‘set’ 

the twists) before being wound onto a 

cone or cones and through a waxer if it 

is to be machine-knitted. It is now ready 

for return to the owner, unless it is to be 

sold as hand-knitting wool, when it can 

be wound from the cones into skeins as 

a further service. 

The felting table is another facility 

offered, and all qualities of fi bre can 

be felted. For those who like working 

with felt the best fi bre can produce 

beautiful results, but the second or third 

quality (even the dirtiest rejects from the 

de-hairer) can also be felted. Celia has 

made rugs, dog and cat beds, hanging 

basket liners, weed suppressing mats 

– and a coat for a late-born cria. Most of 

these were made from fi bre too coarse 

for spinning into fi ne yarn. 

Preparing a fl eece for processing 

starts with the shearing. At this stage, 

the shearer normally takes off the legs, 

chest and belly as third quality and this 

is bagged separately. Some upper leg 

and neck, with the lower side-to-belly will 

be bagged as seconds, and the rest - the 

saddle or blanket - is bagged as fi rsts. 

These should be spread out 

individually on a sorting table where they 

are shaken and picked over to remove as 

much dirt, vegetation, hawthorn, barbed 

wire (you think I’m joking?) as possible. 

It should be dagged, and all coagulation 


Fibre Spin Off 

and staining of faeces (or spit) removed. 

Two of the six Mini-Mills in the UK 

concentrate on contract processing 

of alpaca fl eece. Alborada Alpacas 

in Northamptonshire and NorWEFT in 

North Wales both charge £30.00 per 

kilo of received weight of fl eece (plus 

VAT). Remember, centrifugal force 

throws out the heaviest bits – dirt and 

dags particularly – and this is where 

the biggest ‘weight loss’ occurs in 

processing. If you leave the dirt and dags 

in the fl eece it weighs more on receipt 

– and you’re paying us to remove it! 

The cleaner the fl eece, the smaller the 

‘loss’, and the less your returned yarn 

costs you. 

If you require more information please 

contact: 

NorWEFT: Telephone Michael or Celia on 

01352 720382 or email 

berryenterprising@supanet.com. 

Alborada Alpacas: Telephone Alan or Iona 

on 01296 730040 or email 

alborada@btinternet.com. 

Photos 

Page 41 top: Skein and cone winder. 

Page 41 bottom: Draw frame. 

Below: General view of work area. 

Page 39: Eight spindle spinner 

UK ALPACA 

we’ll buy your fleece for 

CASH 

UK Alpaca is working hard to turn UK produced 

alpaca fibre into top quality worsted spun yarn for 

manufacturers and hand knitters. We’ll grade and 

weigh your clip and provide feedback on fleece quality 

and a cheque in full payment on receipt of your invoice. 

Phone for this season’s collection and grading dates. 

UK Alpaca,Vulscombe Farm, Cruwys 

Morchard, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8NB 

Telephone 01884 243579 

www.ukalpaca.com 


COLOUR 

GENETICS 

Australian biologist and alpaca breeder 

Elizabeth Paul has been trying to unravel 

the mysteries of colour inheritance in 

alpacas for some years and her book 

The Alpaca Colour Key, which she publishes 

herself, in now available in the UK. 

In this issue we publish an introduction 

to the book and to colour genetics to be 

followed in our Summer magazine with an 

article on blue eyed whites. 

Genetics is the science of 

studying and predicting 

patterns of inheritance. 

Any discussion on colour 

inheritance requires a short list of 

essential defi nitions for a basic genetic 

vocabulary, to give an understanding of 

the genetic mechanisms involved. 

The cell is the basic unit of life. Large 

complex animals such as alpacas and 

humans are made up of millions of cells. 

The cell contains a nucleus, which is 

composed of DNA or deoxyribonucleic 

acid. DNA is the biological code, which 

contains all the information required to 

create the animal. The code is set in the 

form of individual pieces of information, 

called genes. Genes are organised 

into long threads of DNA, called 

chromosomes, which are found in pairs 

within the nucleus. Genes also occur 

in pairs, and the members of each pair 

are called alleles. Each gene pair has a 

specifi c position on a given chromosome. 

Each species of animal has a particular 

number of chromosome pairs that sets 

them apart from other species. Humans 

have 23 pairs of chromosomes, and 

alpacas have 37 pairs. 

Reproduction in higher mammals 

involves duplication and then halving 

of the chromosome pairs, so that 

each sperm or egg contains only half 

the original number of chromosomes. 

At fertilization, the original number of 

chromosomes is restored, with half of the 

genetic material coming from the mother, 

and half from the father. The new baby 

has the same number of chromosome 

pairs as its parents, but it is not a clone 

of either, as the recombination of any two 

halves is an entirely random event. Each 

mating event is therefore a completely 

separate event from the one before it, 

and the one that will come after it. This is 

the basis of variation within a species. 

The genotype is the full complement 

of gene pairs for the alpaca. This is 

fi xed from the moment of fertilization 

of an egg by a sperm, and cannot be 

altered (except by gene technology). The 

phenotype is the physical expression of 

those genes, which is what we can see or 

measure on the alpaca. 

The expression of those genes can be 

altered by any number of environmental 

effects, such as time, temperature, day 

length, chemicals, different foods and 

so on. Alleles in the genotype are said 

to be dominant, when they are always 

expressed in the phenotype. Dominant 

alleles require only one copy of the 

gene in the genotype to be expressed. 

If two dominant alleles are present, one 

is usually inactive. Alleles that require 

two copies of the gene in the genotype, 

to be expressed in the phenotype, are 

called recessive. When the alleles in 

the genotype are the same as each 

other, they are called homozygous. 

When they are different, they are called 

heterozygous. 

Usually when we talk about the 

‘genotype’ of an animal, we are really only 

referring to a few genes whose expression 

we are interested in, eg fl eece type or 

colour. 

Gene Series 

There appear to be three main series 

of genes, which interact in various 

combinations to control pattern and 

colour in mammals. The fi rst is called 

Extension, which controls the other two. 

The second is Agouti and the third is the 

black/brown locus. Dr Phillip Sponenberg 

of the USA considered that the Agouti 

locus was the most important locus for 

determining coat colour; and proposed a 

series of phenotypes to fi t with observed 

patterns and colours in alpacas. 

There is a complex interdependence 

between the fi rst two series, in that Agouti 

alleles require the presence of Extension 

wild type allele for their full expression. 

The various alleles at the Extension 

locus either extend or reduce the 

amount of eumelanin in the coat. These 

alleles give a uniform coat colour, with 

no shading or variation. They are both 

antagonistic and epistatic to Agouti series 

alleles. There are three main alleles. The 

Extension series is designated by the 

letter E with superscripts of D, dominant 

black; +, wild type; and ee, recessive red. 

Agouti is the reverse of Extension, 

in that it runs from light to dark, but it 

requires the presence of the Extension 

wild type allele for expression of the 

Agouti alleles. The Agouti series is 

designated by the letter A. The top 

dominant for the Agouti series is the 

lightest allele for that species. It may be 

called ‘dominant white’. 

The black/brown locus – determines 

whether the eumelanin present is black 

“Unlike birds or even reptiles, mammals are rather 

restricted in their use and expression of colour. Most 

mammals come in drab browns and greys, with the 

occasional black and white combination.” 

or its recessive brown. As these are 

two alleles of the one gene, the animal 

cannot have both black and brown 

together in the one coat. The Black/ 

brown locus is designated by the letter B, 

with superscripts of B (dominant black); 

and bb, recessive brown. 

Agouti itself is a protective colouration 

more often seen in smaller animals, such 

as cats and rodents, where both red and 

black pigment may be found in the one 

hair. Guard hair is often uniformly dark. 

Agouti also produces the effect of the 

ventral part of the body being lighter than 

the dorsal part in many species. 

In the larger grazing animals, this 

translates to symmetrical, fairly well 

defi ned patterns of red and black areas in 

the coat. Patterns with more red dominate 

over patterns with more black. Domestic 

horses and cattle with these patterns are 

called “bays”; they have generally redbrown 

bodies and black points, that is, any 

combination of the ears/face/mane/tail 

or lower legs. The shade of red, particularly 

in horses, can vary from light red yellow to 

very darkest mahogany, where the black 

points are sometimes hidden. 

Dr Sponenberg considered that the 

red colour on nearly all fawn, red, tan 

and ‘brown’ alpacas was phaeomelanic 

red, and that most alpacas described 

as ‘browns’ would have black fi bre on 

them, and would therefore be bays. The 

important point here is that the ‘brown’ 

colour, on an animal that appears to be 

both black and brown, is phaeomelanic 

red, and not eumelanic brown. 

An alpaca could be homozygous or 

heterozygous for each of the three gene 

pairs. It could be homozygous for all three 

genes, but it would be more likely to be 

heterozygous for at least one of them. 

Colour Charts 

Alpaca fl eece colours have been 

described from the colour of the fl eece 

on the blanket. These colours were 

originally decided by the mills that used 

the fl eece. Patterns of colour have been 

largely ignored, or at least not recognised, 

either by alpaca breed societies or by 

breeders themselves. The colour charts 

are meaningless from the point of view 

of genetics. This has led to the confusion 

with alpaca colour genetics. 

Colour Code 

Colour is one of the most important 

advantages that alpacas have over other 

fl eece bearing animals. When I fi rst 

bought into alpacas, nearly seven years 

ago, I fell in love with a beautiful grey 

female and was determined to try and 

breed more greys. I found no-one was 

able to help me do this, as the patterns 

of colour inheritance in alpacas seemed 

to be one big mystery. As a biologist with 

some knowledge of genetics, I felt I had 

the necessary background to investigate 

this further. What began as a simple 

personal goal has evolved into a seminar, 

titled ‘The Alpaca Colour Key’ which I have 

presented regularly to Australian alpaca 

breeders since November 2002. I have 

combined models of inheritance, together 

with pigment studies and pedigree data, 

to try to form a more complete view of 

colour inheritance in alpacas. 

Pigmentation 

Coat colour in mammals is almost 

entirely dependent on the presence or 

absence of melanin pigment granules in 


the hair and skin. There are two types of 

melanin, eumelanin (black/brown) and 

phaeomelanin, which is yellow. Melanin 

is concentrated in the skin epidermis, 

at the base of hair follicles, and in the 

retina of the eye. Colour in these areas 

is determined by the size and shape, as 

well as the type, number and distribution 

of granules. Melanin is based on the 

amino acid tyrosine. Mammalian pigment 

granules consist of melanin, attached to 

a protein. 

The most important role of pigment is 

protection of the animal from UV light, but 

different patterns of pigment across the 

animal also provides disguise protection 

from predators or prey, warning patterns, or 

sexual maturity status. Pigment also plays 

a role in other systems including hearing. 

Uses of Colour 

Unlike birds or even reptiles, mammals 

are rather restricted in their use and 

expression of colour. Most mammals 

come in drab browns and greys, with the 

occasional black and white combination. 

Many young animals have different colour 

patterns to the adults of their species. 

Very often they are spotted, striped or 

both. Sometimes this is for protection 

or concealment from predators, but it 

may also communicate the juvenile state 

to adults, causing them to modify their 

social responses. Adult male animals may 

have more intense colouration or bolder 

patterns than females and juveniles. This 

is partly for protection of the females and 

young, but it also advertises the male as 

fully mature, desirable to females and a 

threat to other males. Often such patterns 

may still be dull to our eyes, but the 

animals are programmed to notice subtle 

differences. 

Colour in different patterns can also 

form a warning system within a group. 

Rabbits and many deer have a bright 

white under tail, which they fl ick to 

warn other members of their group of 

danger. Black and white skunks need no 

introduction; they fl uff out their stripes 

and tail to make themselves look bigger 

and less of an easy target to predators. 

Generally, the larger the animal, the less 

need it has for protective colour patterns, 

although giraffes are perhaps the standout 

exception (in more ways than one!) 

Variations 

In the wild, the pattern and colour of a 

particular species may be very constant, 

or it may be quite variable. Sometimes 

the variability has little consequence to 

the animal’s survival; and sometimes it 

may be lethal. At a glance, all zebras look 

the same, but each individual zebra has a 

pattern of stripes as unique to itself as a 

fi ngerprint. Foals and their mothers know 

each other’s stripe patterns, the same as 

a human child knows its own mother’s 

face in a crowd. A zebra born without 

stripes, if ever there was one, would very 

likely be abandoned by its mother, since 

it has no stripes to initiate her recognition 

response. The striping on zebras, while 

it does not conceal them on the open 

plains, confuses an approaching predator 

with a dazzle of shifting lines. An all white 

or all black zebra would easily stand out 

in such a situation. 

All white predators are also at a 

disadvantage, unless they happen to be 

polar bears in the Arctic wilderness. White 

tigers are relatively common in zoos and 

theme parks, but they are almost nonexistent 

in the wild. They all trace back 

to one white male, which was taken from 

the wild in the 1950s and bred to yellow 

females. Eventually some of his mates 

produced several white cubs. There is also 

at least one group of very pale or white 

lions. As lions are social cats, they have 

been able to survive as a group, where 

one on its own might not. 

Animals that vary too much from the 

norm may also be unable to attract a 

mate because of the sexual requirements 

of that species. Leopards however, have a 

melanistic form, which is no bar to either 

hunting or to mating (probably because 

leopards are most active at night). Black 

leopards are at no particular survival 

disadvantage, compared to spotted ones. 

Whatever the wild situation, in a 

domestic environment such as a farm, 

animals with unusual patterns or colours 

are more likely to be saved and nurtured, 

than discarded. Foxes and mink produce 

a range of colours when farmed, which 

Dark Bay Horse 

Black Faced Bay Alpaca 

Chestnut Horse 

are never seen in the wild. The usual 

colour for wolves is greyish, but domestic 

dogs come in many colours. Here also, 

colour is no bar to mating. 

Basic Melanin 

Production 

Melanin is manufactured by special cells 

in the body called melanocytes, which 

arise from the neural crest area of the 

embryo. Cells derived from the dorsal or 

top part of the embryo, are the ones that 

will ultimately develop into melanocytes. 

These migrate to their destinations through 

the epidermis during the embryonic stages 

of development. Any delay in this migration 

may affect the fi nal colour pattern. 

Pigmentation is generally more intense 

around the head, along the back of the 

neck and the top of the back, than the belly 

region of an animal. Mature melanocytes 

insert pigment granules into the base of the 

hair shaft as it grows out of the follicle. 

Changes in 

Pigmentation 

Melanin production involves a number 

of other biochemical agents, and any 

alteration to the sequence, or to the 

Black Bay Alpaca 

Bay Horse 

Recessive Red Alpaca 

components will have an effect on 

the fi nal product, and therefore the 

colour. For example, albinism is the 

result of the animal’s genetic inability 

to form tyrosinase, the enzyme 

required to convert tyrosine in the 

fi rst step of pigment production. This 

is a homozygous recessive condition. 

The albino animal will never develop 

pigment, but can be shown to have 

melanocytes present in the skin. 

Other genes cause a switch between 

the production of eumelanin and 

phaeomelanin; still others cause a 

grouping or clumping effect of the 

granules themselves to produce a 

diluted fi nal effect. 

The level of activity of the 

melanocytes can also be altered, as 

in the change from dark summer coat 

to light winter coat of the snowshoe 

hare and Arctic fox. This change is 

initiated by the changing day length 

between summer and winter. Cold 

temperature can also have an effect 

on pigmentation. The Himalayan 

rabbit has a white coat, but the 

extremities are black, due to the 

lower temperature in those areas. If 

a Himalayan rabbit’s fur is shaved off 

and an icepack applied to the shaved 

area, the hair that grows back will be 

black. Ageing causes a permanent 

reduction in melanocyte activity in the 

hair follicles. 


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Alpaca 

in Italy 

Rene Steiger provides 

a personal view of the 

progress of Italian alpaca 

breeders to establish 

a toe hold in sunny 

southern Europe. 

What are these?’, ‘Do they 

thrive here?’, ‘How much 

do you get paid for the 

wool?’, ‘Can you eat them?’; 

some of the questions asked by people 

stopping by the fence to observe the, for 

them, strange creatures on our pasture. 

The rather hesitant answer to the second 

last and not very affi rmative one to the 

last question very often puts an end to 

their curiosity and interest. 

But, where do we, the alpaca 

community, really stand in Italy? 

The following refl ects the author’s 

personal experience, views and 

assessment and may or may not refl ect 

those of the majority of his fellow keepers 

and breeders of alpacas. 

The fi rst South American camelids 

in Italy were probably kept in zoos. The 

fi rst serious efforts to import and breed 

alpacas, and the fi rst attempt to create 

a market for these animals, occurred 

in the late 1990s. In 2001 two Italian 

associations were founded independently 

of each other. One, with a more or less 

immediately operational registry, and with 

membership predominantly in northern 

Italy, for both llamas and alpacas; one 

with members throughout the country, 

with a current concentration in central 

Italy, with emphasis on alpacas. The 

latter, Italpaca (www.italpaca.com), has a 

membership of 34 breeders/keepers and 

fi ve associates (vets, researchers, etc.). 

It is estimated that there are about 50 

keepers/breeders of alpacas distributed 

throughout the country, with a total of 

around 400–450 alpacas, predominantly 

huacayas, the vast majority coloured. 

From the foundation date of Italpaca it 

was clear that amongst the fi rst tasks to 

complete was the setting up of a national 

registry. Due mainly to changes affecting 

the presidency of the association, this 

took much longer than anticipated. A fi nal 

proposal was accepted by the AGM of 

March 6, 2004, and since November 30, 

2004, animals can be registered. 

In 2002 the Department of Veterinary 

Medicine of the University of Camerino, 

experienced in camelids through their 

involvement in a variety of projects in 

the Andes, undertook a survey of the 

main physical characteristics of a large 

percentage of the then Italian ‘national’ 

alpaca herd. The results, not unexpectedly, 

as the founder animals had been 

imported from Chile and a variety of 

European countries, did not reveal any 

particular characteristics distinguishing an 

Italian alpaca from any other. According to 

the authors of the survey the results also 

indicated that the average quality of the 

animals was not exceptional. 

This led to lengthy, at times heated 

discussions amongst the council 

members, regarding the best way forward 

in terms of a registry that might assist 

the improvement of the national herd. The 

registry is a two tier one, divided into a) 

males and females of Italian or foreign 

provenance, free of defects, b) males 

and females born in Italy, with parents 

registered in a), and fullfi lling certain 

criteria at around one year of age. These 

criteria comprise aspects of conformity 

and quality and quantity of wool, which 

are combined into a performance index. 

For each year a committee will decide the 

minimum number of points required for 

an animal to be considered an ‘improver” 

and to be registered in b). The remainder 

of the animals will be registered in a). 

The system has an inbuilt fl exibility. At 

present the bias favours eg white over 

coloured, wool quality and quantity over 

conformity, etc. With regard to colours we 

have adopted a system that incorporates 

much of today’s knowledge of models 

(genotypical distribution of eumelanin 

and feomelanin base colours/pigments) 

governing the phenotypical ‘colours’ 

normally described, including alteration 

or modifi cation (eg absence of pigments, 

greying and dilution), as well as spotting. 

With this we hope to be in a position to 

assist breeders with a particular interest 

in colours to make appropriate choices 

regarding breeding pairs. This is probably 

the fi rst worldwide case of such a system 

being part of a national alpaca registry. 

Animals registered will be identifi ed 

by microchip, those registered in b) 

additionally by DNA, with the intention 

to also DNA test the parents of the so 

registered animal. The registry will be 

owned by Italpaca and administered by 

the Dept. of Veterinary Science at the 

University of Camerino. The latter will also 

take on an advisory role, eg regarding 

the selection of breeding pairs. It is 

hoped that this type of registry will assist 

in improving the overall quality of the 

national herd. 

It is therefore an attempt to achieve 

improvements directly through a registry, 

and not only through shows and the 

crowning of champions based merely 

on the evaluation of phenotypical 

characteristics of individual animals. In 

view of the small size of the national herd 

much will depend on the willingness of 

the keeper/breeders of alpacas to actively 

participate in the scheme, particularly 

in view of the not inconsiderable costs 

involved. After some time we hopefully will 

be in a position to put considerably more 

weight on genotype rather than solely 

on phenotype as planned for the initial 

stages. 

Why do I use the term keeper/ 

breeder rather than simply talking about 

breeders? This is based on my own 

experience over the past fi ve years. At the 

beginning one is more than happy to own 

a small group of these wonderful animals, 

and even happier to see the fi rst crias 

being born and survive. With time, having 

read many books and magazines, visited 

numerous webpages, and possibly a few 

shows and other farms, one nevertheless 

begins to look at animals in a more 

critical fashion. From a keeper one slowly 

turns into a breeder. It is probably true to 

say that here in Italy many keepers are 

now approaching, or have reached, the 

beginning of this transition. It may also 


e that this process takes a bit longer 

here than in other countries because 

of a language problem, people fi nding 

it more diffi cult to access the relevant, 

predominantly English literature than in 

many other countries. 

What else is happening? Italpaca 

has a number of committees. One of 

the really successful ones is the wool 

committee, which has succeeded in 

organising a wool collection and industrial 

type processing system which now offers 

members the possibility of having their 

wool processed, and to be able to obtain 

cones of 100% Italian alpaca wool in 

a number of colours (black, grey, brown 

and white) and is without any doubt a 

major step in the right direction. Through 

another channel members have a second 

possibility, and can obtain a product of 

orientated veterinary services through 

the establishment of a contact network. 

Owners of camelids in Italy face the same 

initial problems with regard to lack of 

relevant knowledge amongst veterinarians 

as those in other countries. It is intended 

to form a working group amongst vets 

to assist the faster dissemination of 

the accumulating knowledge. In this 

context attempts will be made to better 

understand what are believed to be above 

average numbers of deaths of both crias 

and adult animals. At present most deaths 

go both unrecorded and unexplained. 

Partly within the context of the above, 

it is intended to initiate studies into the 

nutritional aspects in different regions of 

the country, and to raise the awareness of 

keepers/breeders as to the importance of 

a properly balanced diet. 

utter, in most cases fi nal, crisis, but that 

he and his experience develop and grow 

in unison with the herd. Together with him 

we went, and continue to go, through a 

learning curve that is probably not much 

different from that experienced by many 

fl edgling breeders throughout the world. 

This learning curve unfortunately does 

not always point upwards. Moments of 

utter glory and satisfaction, successful 

births and treatments of minor injuries 

and ailments, the relief when a bottlefed 

male shows not the slightest sign of male 

berserk syndrom, are followed by sad 

incidents, for both breeder and vet, like 

stillbirths and the often unsatisfactorily 

explained deaths of crias. 

Time allowing in between those spent 

on general chores around the herd, 

weaving and knitting, hand processing 

the wool of particular animals, tending 

the vineyard and olive grove, etc., we also 

attempt to halter train our animals. This 

quite often turns us into a mixture of Marty 

McGee and Buffalo Bill, in particular with 

animals that have spent their formative 

years on the altiplano. There is hope after 

all, that Buffalo Bill will be a person of 

the past. 

What are our breeding goals? Both 

from the viewpoints of hand-weaver/knitter 

and lovers of alpacas, there is no choice 

other than to go for colour, naturally not 

totally forgetting about fi neness, crimp, 

density, etc. There appears to be no reason 

other than economics to turn an animal 

that can proudly boast the greatest variety 

of colours into a dull, drab, white to off 

white anonymous mass of sheeplike 

creatures. Our present ‘herdsire’ is what is 

normally called a pinto. Of eleven offspring 

born so far one is like the father, one black 

and white, one nearly white, one black and 

the remainder various hues of red with 

black extremities. 

In brief: here in Italy we stand at the 

beginning of what we all hope will be an 

exciting future, no matter where exactly 

we will end up. Let’s not forget that our 

national herd is only the size of many 

an individual herd in other countries. We 

certainly hope that here in Italy alpacas 

will be appreciated for their beauty, their 

character, their individuality, and that fewer 

and fewer people will lose interest when 

the answer to a certain question is not 

very affi rmative 

alpaca mixed with sheep wool, of a colour 

mix. Amongst Italian keepers/breeders 

the desire to do something with the 

wool of their animals is strong. This is 

particularly true for people running what 

is called an ‘agriturismo’, comparable to 

a B&B in the countryside, or farmhouse 

holiday. These places have the opportunity 

to sell fi nished products to their guests, 

who also have the opportunity to admire 

these unusual animals. 

This is the situation today. What about 

the future? Within Italpaca we have 

identifi ed a number of problem areas and 

intend to work towards the alleviation 

of some of these problems. The most 

important areas are: 

Expansion of the presently very limited 

market through various means, including 

television programmes, appearances 

at agricultural and craft shows and 

magazine articles. 

A very important aspect will be the 

establishment of a vigorous show circuit, 

with Italian breeders participating/ 

competing both in local shows, and those 

organised in other European countries. 

Continued efforts to improve the 

services offered to members regarding 

maximising the value of wool produced. 

Continued organisation of courses 

to improve the general standard of 

husbandry, shearing, wool handling, 

training of animals, etc. 

Working towards improved camelid 

As one can see, a lot lies ahead to be 

achieved. 

To round off this account of the 

italian situation, the following are a 

few experiences and observations of a 

personal nature. 

Esther, a former textile craft teacher, 

and I moved in early 2000 from 

Switzerland to our small farm in southern 

Tuscany. At Poggio Piero we started 

immediately with a herd of eight females, 

both huacaya and suri. Today our herd 

comprises 35 animals, ten Suri and 

the remainder Huacaya. As this was 

the fi rst time we owned any animals 

larger and more exotic than a cat or 

medium sized dog, the fi rst few weeks 

were nerve-racking. Knowing that out 

there in the dark, the rain, the burning 

sun we had something comparable in 

value to a decent secondhand Ferrari 

also was a new feeling. But then there 

were the moments of absolute delight 

watching them exploring their new pasture, 

seemingly content with what they saw and 

found to eat. And not too long afterwards 

the ultimate glory of the fi rst cria being 

born on our farm. We were lucky to fi nd 

a local vet experienced with sheep in 

the area, who, perhaps more importantly 

than anything else, immediately took to 

these animals the moment he saw one 

for the fi rst time on our pasture. From our 

experience it is of utmost importance that 

the vet is not only called in moments of 


Pregnancy loss is the second most 

common complaint in alpaca 

infertility in my practice. There is 

no epidemiological data on the 

extent of this problem. However based 

on records in the theriogenology service 

at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, 

Washington State University, 7–12% of 

all pregnancies will be lost during the 

11–12 month gestational course. From 

a clinical point of view, pregnancy losses 

can be divided into three categories; early 

embryonic death; early fetal loss and 

late fetal losses. Diagnosis of the cause 

of pregnancy loss is one of the most 

challenging aspects of infertility work up. 

It requires the services of a veterinarian 

with a good background in theriogenology 

(a veterinary speciality dealing with 

infertility, obstetrics and neonatal 

problems), and an excellent diagnostic 

laboratory support. The objective of the 

present article is to discuss the causes, 

diagnostic approach and possible therapy 

for pregnancy loss in alpacas. 

Defi ning the problem: 

The importance of 

pregnancy diagnosis 

When discussing or working up a case of 

pregnancy loss it is important to defi ne 

the precise problem in terms of whether 

this is an individual female problem 

or a herd problem, when does the loss 

occur and what are the historical data 

of importance that happened before 

observation of the pregnancy loss. Talking 

about pregnancy loss suggests that a 

female has been diagnosed pregnant at 

a fi rst examination and is found open 

at a subsequent examination. Therefore, 

of utmost importance in defi ning the 

problem is what method is used to 

diagnose pregnancy in the fi rst place. 

Pregnancy can be diagnosed by a 

variety of methods and is most commonly 

based on female behaviour, hormone 

assays and ultrasonographic examination 

of the uterus and its content. 

I consider ultrasonography to be 

the gold standard method for any 

examination for pregnancy. For a welltrained 

person, ultrasonography carries 

a very high accuracy (100%) starting at 

12 days post-breeding (Figure 1) when 

done trans-rectally and starting at 45 

days (Figure 2) and up to 5 months 

when done trans-abdominally (Figure 

3). Transabdominal ultrasonography for 

pregnancy evaluation beyond 5 months is 

possible and highly accurate but requires 

shaving a large area of the abdominal 

wall to allow better visualisation because 

the fetus is very deep in the abdomen. 

Ultrasonography offers the veterinarian 

the clinical means not only to establish a 

diagnosis of pregnancy but also evaluate 

normalcy of the pregnancy with respect of 

cervical tone, placental health, fetal wellbeing 

and fetal number (twins). 

Pregnancy loss 

in the alpaca 

Losses arising from abortion are distressing for owner and 

animal alike and are a fi nancial set back. Well planned breeding 

programmes can be severely disrupted with knock-on effects 

for the genetic development of herds and breeders marketing 

initiatives. Ahmed Tibary, DMV, PhD, Dipl. ACT, of the Veterinary 

Teaching Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington 

State University, outlines some of the causes and consequencies 

associated with this problem. 

TABLE 1: CAUSES OF PREGNANCY LOSS IN ALPACAS 

Category Cause Most likely group affected 

Sporadic pregnancy losses Severe systemic diseases All 

Severe nutritional defi ciencies 

‘Stress’, heat stress 

Progesterone insuffi ciency 

Selenium defi ciency 

Vitamin A 

Iodine defi ciency 

Placental insuffi ciency 

Cervical incompetence 

Metabolic problems (hepatic lipidosis) 

Lactating females. Young maiden females 

All groups; may be epidemic if several females are 

involved 

Some females 

All 

Young females 

Young females 

Older females or females with history of uterine 

infection 

Females with history of dystocia 

Obese females 

Sporadic drug induced Prostaglandin injections All, any stage of pregnancy 

Corticosteroids 

All, later part or pregnancy 

8 way vaccines Some females may react to this 

Infectious pregnancy losses Chlamydiosis May cause abortion storms 

Toxoplasmosis 

Leptospirosis 

Brucellosis 

Bacterial placentitis 

May cause abortion storms 

May cause abortion storms 

Not present in the USA 

Genetics Twinning Some females 

Severe fetal malformations 

Fibre production 

Females with bad vulvar conformation or recurrent 

vaginal prolapse during pregnancy 

Rare 

High producing fi ne fi bre animals 


Placental health is generally appreciated 

by looking at the attachment between 

the maternal side (uterine lining) and 

the fetal side (fetal membrane; placenta, 

chorioallantoic). Fetal well being is 

determined by its growth in relation 

to gestation stage (using formulas 

correlating body measurements with 

age in days) as well as its activity 

(movements) and its heart rate and 

rhythm. In addition the appearance of 

fetal fl uid on ultrasound can be used to 

detect changes that may result in loss of 

a pregnancy. 

Although very highly suggestive of 

pregnancy, specifi c behaviour towards 

the male (spitting-off) is only about 

85% accurate in terms of determining 

pregnancy status. Many females may 

reject the male for other reasons and 

most commonly because they have 

high progesterone that may be due to 

presence of luteal structures (tissue 

that produces progesterone, luteinised 

follicles or corpus luteum) without a real 

pregnancy. Therefore, although spitting-off 

behaviour is a good screening method for 

pregnancy diagnosis it remains important 

to confi rm the status of pregnancy by the 

gold standard method ‘ultrasonography’. 

The most common hormonal 

assay that is used for determination 

of pregnancy status is progesterone. 

Scientifi c studies have shown that in 

order for a female to maintain pregnancy 

the hormone progesterone which is 

secreted by the corpus luteum (CL) 

(Figure 4) should remain high. The 

corpus luteum will be the sole source 

of this hormone and therefore any 

disruption of its activity may result in 

loss of pregnancy. But how high is high 

when progesterone is considered for 

pregnancy diagnosis? Most labs suggest 

that pregnancy is only guaranteed if 

the level of serum progesterone is at or 

above 2ng/ml. Others prefer to use a 

cutoff of 1.5ng/ml. Our ongoing research 

suggests that there are several sources of 

variation concerning progesterone levels 

in pregnant alpacas and it is not rare in 

our practice to see pregnant alpacas with 

values between 0.9 and 1.5ng/ml. Where 

do these variation come from? Certainly 

some are due to sample handling errors, 

lab errors, but of most importance to us 

are other factors intrinsic to the female 

itself. In addition to these variations that 

make progesterone use for pregnancy 

diagnosis not reliable there is an added 

 

 

 

 

factor which the presence of progesterone 

in non-pregnant females with persistent 

luteal structures on the ovaries (persistent 

CL or luteinized follicles). In fact presence 

of signifi cant levels of progesterone in 

the blood should be considered only 

as a fi rst step in pregnancy diagnosis 

and the status should be confi rmed by 

ultrasonography. 

There are other hormones (estrone 

sulfate, relaxin) that are used in the later 

part of gestation to evaluate the fetus and 

pregnancy however these are rarely used 

in common practice. 

Diagnosis of 

pregnancy losses in 

alpacas 

As stated above, determining that 

there was indeed a pregnancy loss will 

primarily be based on establishing with 

certainty that the female was pregnant 

and is now open or by actually visualizing 

symptoms that are suggestive of a 

pregnancy loss in progress. 

In many instances pregnancy loss 

diagnosis is posed when a female 

that has been diagnosed as pregnant 

(preferably with ultrasound) fails to 

develop normal third trimester signs 

of advanced pregnancy (increased 

abdominal size; visualization of fetal 

movement) or even worse she may fail to 

deliver well past her anticipated due 

Figure 1 Transrectal ultrasound of a normal 12 day 

pregnancy in an alpaca. Arrows point to the amniotic 

sac (embryonic fl uid is black). 

Figure 2 Transabdominal ultrasound of a normal 45 

day pregnancy in an alpaca. Arrow point to the fetus 

(grey) within the uterus surrounded by normal fetal 

fl uid (black). 

Figure 3 Transabdominal ultrasound of a normal 3 

month pregnancy in an alpaca (S= fetal stomach, 

R= fetal rib cage, N= fetal neck). 

Figure 4 Corpus luteum appearance on a specimen 

(right) and on ultrasound (left). 

Figure 5 Ultrasonographic appearance of non-viable 

pregnancies. a) 30 days, note disrupted fetal 

membranes, b) 45 days and c) 3 months, no fetal fl uid, 

no heart beat. 

Figure 6 Abortion, 6 month-old fetus and placenta from 

a female that aborted due to severe trace minerals 

defi ciency. 

Figure 7 Alpaca placenta showing lesions on the 

surface. 

Figure 8 Placentitis. Thickened placenta seen by 

ultrasonography. This female aborted 4 days later. 

 


Health and Welfare Pregnancy Loss 

date. In some instances, the presumption 

that the pregnancy was lost is based on 

behavioural signs of receptivity to the 

male after establishment of pregnancy 

(sitting next a breeding pair or across 

from a male fence). 

The best evidence of pregnancy loss 

is the presence of abnormal discharge 

from the vagina or elimination of the 

fetus and the fetal membranes. Vaginal 

discharges are generally obvious if 

the loss occurs after 60 days. Most 

pregnancy losses before this date are 

seldom seen because some females will 

just reabsorb even if they eliminate the 

fetus and its fl uid and the signs will go 

unnoticed because of the smallness of 

the conceptus. In cases of suspicion of 

recent loss an inspection of the dung 

pile may reveal the presence of fetal 

remnants. The opposite is also possible, 

owners notice fetal or placental parts on 

the fi eld, which suggests that a female 

has lost her pregnancy. In this particular 

case an inspection of the entire group of 

females in that pen is warranted. 

Pregnancy loss may sometimes 

be suspected during the process of 

pregnancy diagnosis. On occasion during 

pregnancy examination, evidence of 

disrupted fetal membrane (Figure 5), 

fetal heart rate, or abnormal ultrasound 

appearance of uterine content may 

suggest a non-viable pregnancy. 

Causes of pregnancy 

losses in alpacas 

Just like any other species, causes of 

pregnancy loss in alpacas are numerous 

(Table 1). Pregnancy loss can generally 

be categorised as sporadic (happening 

every once in a while and concern only 

a few females without real association) 

or epidemic (a ‘storm’, several females 

loosing pregnancy within a short interval 

of time). Sporadic pregnancy losses 

are generally due to factors within the 

individual itself. An example of sporadic 

pregnancy loss is the female that 

mistakenly receives a drug that causes 

loss of corpus luteum function (Table 1), 

or has undergone a stressful situation 

resulting in her losing the pregnancy (ie 

severe disease process, long stressful 

trip, heat stress). Probably the most 

common sporadic form of pregnancy 

loss is illustrated by females that tend 

to become pregnant relatively easily and 

then loose the pregnancy within a few 

weeks or cannot carry the pregnancy 

to term due to placental insuffi ciency, 

hormonal imbalances or genetic 

predisposition. Placental insuffi ciency 

is due to a lack of normal placental 

development resulting from the presence 

of scarred uterine tissue or premature 

placental separation. Hormonal 

imbalances may be brought about 

by stressful conditions. Progesterone 

defi ciency is suspected in many females 

but is hard to isolate as a primary cause 

of pregnancy loss. 

Infectious causes of pregnancy 

losses are of special interest to large 

herds or herds that have no biosecurity 

measures. The most commonly diagnosed 

infectious causes of pregnancy losses 

are leptospirosis, chlamydiosis, and 

toxoplasmosis. These diseases may 

cause severe losses if they happen in an 

epidemic fashion. 

Approach to 

diagnosis of the 

cause of pregnancy 

losses in alpaca 

Diagnosis of the exact cause of pregnancy 

loss is generally very frustrating and 

requires investment in time and cost of 

laboratory procedures. The best chance of 

determining the cause of pregnancy loss 

in the case of an observed abortion or 

stillbirth is to provide the veterinarian with 

all the tissues for laboratory submission 

immediately. These should include the 

fetus and placenta (Figure 6). These 

tissues should be removed and secured in 

plastic bags and rushed to a veterinarian 

in a fresh condition or cooled (not frozen). 

In addition, the veterinarian may opt to 

take uterine culture and blood samples 

from the aborting female(s). Obtaining 

these samples in good condition within 

the fi rst 24 to 72 hours after abortion 

greatly improves the diagnosis of the 

cause of pregnancy loss. In some cases 

the veterinarian may suggest taking blood 

samples from other females in the herd 

for comparison purposes. Always take 

abortion seriously because it could be just 

the beginning of an abortion storm 

The placenta is a mirror image of the 

uterine lining and should be kept fresh 

for evaluation by a veterinarian (Figure 

7). The placenta will be examined by the 

veterinarian for any signs of infl ammation 

(placentitis) or infection that may be 

involved in the abortion or still birth (Figure 

8). The surface of the placenta will also 

provide information on possible areas 

of scarring (fi brosis) which will lack the 

typical arrangement of tissue (villosities 

of the microcotyledons) responsible for 

the transfer of nutrient between the dam 

and the fetus. Samples from the placenta 

will be taken for microscopic evaluation 

(histopathology). 

The fetus is usually examined for 

malformations, growth retardation or 

evidence of infectious agents. Growth 

retardation is determined by measurement 

of the size of the fetus and comparing it to 

normal growth charts. Samples taken from 

the stomach of the fetus will be taken for 

bacteriological examination. 

The female(s) experiencing pregnancy 

loss at any stage of pregnancy should 

be isolated from the rest of the herd 

and examined thoroughly. The initial 

examination generally focuses on detection 

of any systemic diseases or nutritional 

problems that may be responsible for or 

a contributing factor to pregnancy loss. 

Females in poor body condition or suffering 

from mineral defi ciencies experience a 

higher rate of pregnancy attrition, abortion 

and stillbirth. Young females that are bred 

before they have reached at least 65% 

of the expected adult weight and size will 

experience a higher rate of abortion or 

early pregnancy loss. Data from South 

America showed that females that are 

bred before they reach 90lbs in weight 

experience pregnancy loss at a rate of 

40–60%. In North America, because of a 

higher level of care and nutrition young 

females may reach and surpass this weight 

before they are suffi ciency developed 

(uterus and bone structure) to be able to 

maintain a pregnancy. 

Progesterone insuffi ciency is without 

doubt the most commonly ‘diagnosed’ 

and ‘treated’ disorder by several breeders 

and veterinarians. What do we know 

about progesterone defi ciency? Although 

this is a likely cause of pregnancy loss 

in alpacas, it is very hard to determine 

whether progesterone decline is a result 

of embryonic death or that the embryo 

dies because of lack of progesterone. 

Many articles stipulate that the minimum 

level of progesterone in blood required 

for maintenance of pregnancy is 2ng/ml. 

However, results in an experiment in 

progress in our laboratory shows that 

many normal pregnant alpacas have 

progesterone concentration as low as 

1.2ng/ml. Reports from fi eld observations 

indicate progesterone values as little as 

0.6 ng/ml in alpacas that carried to term. 

These results point to a serious problem in 

that many alpacas may be supplemented 

with progesterone when they do not need 

it and that there may be some errors 

in reported progesterone values. It is 

my clinical opinion that progesterone 

should be >1ng/ml for a pregnancy to 

be maintained. Low progesterone values 

reported in pregnant alpacas may be due 

to sample handling or to laboratory errors. 

Other factors affecting progesterone values, 

due to the individual female, are being 

investigated currently in our laboratory. 

Pregnancy loss may also occur in 


Health and Welfare Pregnancy Loss 

alpacas due to stressful conditions (heat 

stress, re-adjustment to a new environment 

…). These situations generally remain 

hypothetical and their diagnosis will be 

based on historical data (was there a 

change in management or handling in 

the days preceding pregnancy loss?). 

Another form of ‘stress’ that I suspect may 

cause mid-term to late-term abortion in 

alpacas is the competition between fi bre 

production and fetal growth. 

Treatment with corticoisteroids (even 

topical eye ointment), some eight way 

vaccines and administration of the drug 

prostaglandin F2 alpha or its analogues 

(normally used for treatment of retained 

CL’s) will cause abortion. 

Repeated pregnancy loss between 

30 days and 8 months due to twins has 

been reported to me on several females. 

Double ovulations and twin pregnancies 

are not rare in alpacas. There seem to be 

an increase in these twinnings probably 

because of increased nutritional plan and 

improvement in our ability to detect the 

twins by ultrasonography. This is an added 

benefi t of using ultrasound for pregnancy 

diagnosis rather that just progesterone 

levels or behavioural manifestations. 

Late twin abortion will cause excessive 

time loss and added hardship for the 

aborting female with increased dystocia 

and postpartum complications which 

may jeopardize the future reproductive 

life of the dam. Therefore early diagnosis 

of twin ovulations and twins is highly 

recommended particularly in those females 

that have had already an incidence of 

twin pregnancy. Many alpacas that start 

their pregnancy as twins will reduce to a 

singleton and will go on to have a normal 

pregnancy to term. I recommend that any 

female that has not reduced the number of 

fetuses on her own by day 35 of pregnancy 

be aborted at this stage. 

Prevention of 

pregnancy losses in 

alpacas 

Prevention of pregnancy losses in alpacas 

requires several measures at the herd level 

and at the individual level. 

At the herd level, prevention of 

outbreaks of losses requires development, 

with the attending veterinarian, of strict 

and detailed biosecurity measures as 

well as a good herd health (proper 

regular deworming and vaccination) 

and nutritional (regular evaluation of 

feed quality, trace mineral levels and 

body condition of animals) programmes. 

Vaccination against some of the abortion 

causing diseases such as Chlamydiosis 

and leptospirosis may be indicated in 

high risk situations. Genetic selection 

programmes may be involved in overall 

reproductive performance in alpacas and 

should always be kept in mind. 

On an individual level, high risk 

pregnancies or female at high risk of 

losing their pregnancy after breeding 

should be identifi ed early. This group 

should include any female that has had 

a history of pregnancy loss, obstetrical 

problems or uterine infections. All these 

condition can lead, if not treated properly, 

to uterine fi brosis (scarring) which will 

not be compatible with normal placental 

function and result in early fetal loss or 

abortion. Uterine biopsy may be indicated 

in some females in order to determine if 

they have these chronic changes in the 

uterus. The best way to prevent pregnancy 

loss and maximise the reproductive 

career of a female alpaca is to adopt 

strict measure in the prevention of uterine 

infections and birthing problems which 

are responsible for development of these 

chronic changes. Uterine infections are 

best prevented by avoiding repeated 

unnecessary breeding. If uterine 

infection occurs they should be promptly 

and adequately treated. Obstetrical 

manipulations should be done by a 

knowledgeable person observing strict 

hygiene measures. 

High risk females should be monitored 

closely during pregnancy. If progesterone 

supplementation is the option taken, 

fetal viability and well being should be 

verifi ed regularly to avoid maintaining 

a dead fetuses in the uterus. Several 

types of progestogens (progesterone or 

progesterone like hormones) are available 

on the market. Although, anecdotal 

success with some of these are reported 

by breeders and veterinarians there has 

been no scientifi c research to demonstrate 

their effi cacy in prevention of pregnancy 

loss nor the manner by which they should 

be used. 

Sexual rest of older female or females 

with uterine fi brosis for a few months may 

improve their chances in carrying to term. 

In conclusion, pregnancy loss in 

alpacas is relatively common particularly 

in populations at high risk (older females, 

maiden underdeveloped females, females 

with a history of uterine infection or 

obstetrical problems). Management 

measures to reduce the incidence of 

these problems and ‘prepare’ females for 

breeding is the fi rst step in prevention 

of losses. The use of ultrasonography 

is recommended for early pregnancy 

diagnosis and monitoring of pregnancy. 

Abortions can be due to infectious 

diseases and each should be taken 

seriously, working with the veterinarian 

immediately after noticing an abortion. 

Submitting fetal, placental and dam 

samples to a laboratory improves the odds 

of determining the cause. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

I am indebted to several colleagues as well as 

breeders from all over the USA and particularly WA, ID, 

OR, CA, CO and MT, who share with me their clinical 

observations and entrust me with care for their alpacas. 

PICTURE THIS... 

You have the fun of taking 

a colour photograph of your 

alpacas and entering it for the Alpaca 

World magazine cover photo competition. 

If you win, your prize will be an eighth page 

advert (£50) or you can use the value to put 

towards a larger space if you choose. Plus 

your photo gets published on the cover of 

Alpaca World with your credit line. 

ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED AT OUR 

OFFICE BY JUNE 1, 2005. 

Alpaca World Magazine, Vulscombe Farm, 

Cruwys Morchard, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8NB 

or Email production@bright-friday.co.uk 

REQUIREMENTS 

In order for your entry to be reproduced 

on the cover of AWM you must be able to 

provide an 8” x 10” glossy photographic 

print or provide the negative if called upon 

to do so. We welcome digital camera prints 

but will require the original camera fi le for 

reproduction purposes. If using a digital 

camera the minimum pixel quality should be 

no less than 8 mega pixels to be of suffi cient 

resolution to be printed at A4 size. The 

judgement will be made on composition, 

colour and sharpness. Entrants should 

remember that the most suitable format 

for a cover shot is ‘portrait’ rather than 

‘landscape’. 

PICTURE THIS … 

PHOTO COMPETITION 


weaning 

wisely 

Amy Haldane helps to take the worry out of weaning 

Weaning is never a particularly enjoyable 

time of year for any of us. But we get 

on and do it, knowing that the animals 

quickly adapt and slip into a new 

routine, making new friends amongst their peers. 

Before we know it, mum is about to deliver another 

cria, the ‘baby’ girls are ready for mating and the 

‘baby’ boys are still … well, being boys! 

Literature suggests that weaning would normally 

occur without human intervention in the majority 

of cria raised in their ‘natural environment’ i.e. 

South America. There may be a number of factors 

that make this necessary, like shortages of food or 

climatic conditions. To us weaning usually means 

the separation of dam from cria to prevent the cria 

from nursing from its mother. 

So, why do we wean? 

There seems to be little benefi t from leaving the 

cria and dam together indefi nitely. The cria would 

normally wean itself, or the mother would stop 

letting it drink at some stage naturally. If the cria 

is already taking hard food, grass or concentrates 

then there is no real advantage to be gained from 

letting the cria continue to suckle. By this stage 

the amount of milk taken from its mother is less 

than we think and as the cria gets older nursing 

has probably become more a habit and comfort 

seeking ritual rather than a nutritional requirement. 

If the mother is pregnant again there is always 

the risk that she will lose condition and risk the 

pregnancy if she nurses a cria for too long. 

I think one of the most important reasons to 

wean is that if the cria is still with its mother at 

the time she is ready to give birth again chances 

are the older cria will try to suckle from its mother. 

This presents the danger that the new-born does 

not have access to a good milk supply and the 

precious fi rst milk (colostrum) vital for its well 

being. It is unfair to think that a newborn can 

compete with a bolshy older cria who is probably 

feeling extremely jealous and put out. 

Young males playing at mating their mothers 

can be highly amusing and endearing but this play 

can usually only be tolerated to a point before it 

becomes irritating and a real nuisance. They can 

become extremely boisterous and unfortunately 

start to try to mate with younger cria who are more 

likely to get injured because of the size difference. 

So there comes a point where weaning becomes 

a safety precaution for the younger members of 

the herd. 

How to wean 

There are no real hard and fast rules on how to 

wean, but some ways defi nitely seem to make the 

whole process much easier. Like the bulk of alpaca 

management address weaning with commonsense, 

adapt to changes and do what best suits 

your alpacas. 


“There seems to be little benefi t 

from leaving the cria and dam 

together indefi nitely. The cria would 

normally wean itself, or the mother 

would stop letting it drink at 

some stage naturally. If the cria is 

already taking hard food, grass or 

concentrates then there is no real 

advantage to be gained from letting 

the cria continue to suckle.” 

Ideally take the cria away from mum and put it 

in another fi eld with a companion or other weaned 

cria out of sight of the dam. 

Make sure that the fi eld is secure. Cria are 

more likely to fi nd their way out of a fi eld by going 

under gates or slack fencing than by jumping out 

and can be veritable little Houdinis. 

If you have enough stock and space to do this 

male and female cria could be separated into 

different fi elds at weaning. In theory males could 

be fertile as young as nine months though they are 

not likely to start working until they are eighteen 

months or older. The young males tend to play 

harder and can pester the females. They will have 

to be separated at some stage if they are not 

castrated and sometimes it is much easier to start 

as you mean to go on. 

When to wean 

Wean at about six months. Slightly earlier if the 

mother is losing condition and the cria is taking 

hard food. 

Crias that are very small for their age may be 

kept on a little longer. You may fi nd though that they 

actually do better once weaned on to concentrates. 

It is best to wean cria with other cria or with a 

companion (a gelded male or non-lactating female). 

The mother also needs to have company. Obviously 

this can pose problems for people with very small 

herds. 

Lack of land may pose another problem. It makes 

sense to wean cria out of sight of their mothers to 

avoid the inevitable pacing up and down fence lines 

trying to reunite. Even though it can be done in sight 

of each other, it will probably take longer, be more 

distressing for you to watch and you must make sure 

that the fenceline is secure with no risk of the cria 

hurting itself. Defi nitely not a good idea to attempt 

this if you have a barbed wire fence between them! 

What if I can’t wean at 

six months? 

If you do not have enough stock to provide 

companions for the female and cria, the cria could 

be kept on longer providing the dam’s condition 

is not suffering. If the cria is female it may be 

possible, if she has grown out well, she could be 

sent off to stud slightly earlier and kept there until 

ready to be mated, leaving the dam to have her 

new cria in peace. Ask your local stud farm if they 

would be willing to do this. Someone may also be 

kind enough to lend you a gelding or non-breeding 

female as a companion for a short time. Ask 

around if you are experiencing diffi culties, I’m sure 

someone will be able to help. 

The cria could be put back in with its mother 

after about six weeks, though it’s probably best to 

keep the young males separated, especially if they 

are still entire. 

Weaning is a fairly heartbreaking time, mum 

and baby have had a strong bond and it will 

take a few weeks for them to settle down again. 

The babies also make the most pitiful cries, 

but thankfully nothing that compares with the 

persistent bleating of newly weaned lambs, 

guaranteed to keep you awake at night. 

Once the cria have become accustomed to 

the severing of the apron strings this is a perfect 

time to start halter training and to get your 

babies familiar with being handled. They are an 

ideal size to halter train and shouldn’t be too set 

in their ways. 

Below left: Good fencing is very important for the safety of your 

weanlings. 

Below right: It does not take very long for the weanlings to settle 

down and make new friends. 


Thinking of keeping alpacas? 

Why not book one of our ‘essentials’ courses 

which will give you all the basic knowledge 

you need about these lovely animals. The 

courses will cover day-to-day care, how to 

make handling easy, breeding and what to look 

for when choosing your alpacas. There will be 

plenty of opportunities to handle our animals 

and a chance to examine the fl eeces and see the 

end products. Please telephone us on 

01884 243579 to book a place or visit our 

website www.alpaca-uk.co.uk 

Rachel Hebditch and Chas Brooke have been 

breeding alpacas for eight years, publish Alpaca 

World magazine and are partners in UK Alpaca, 

a company that buys fl eece from 

UK breeders and manufactures yarn. 

Courses: April 16th and 

May 28th. 

If you are not able to attend 

a course, try our video 

‘An Introduction to Alpacas’ 

Outstanding genetics for alpaca breeders and fi bre producers Chas Brooke T/F 01884 243514 M 07970 415638 

E chas@mileendalpacas.freeserve.co.uk 

Visit our website at www.alpaca-uk.co.uk and for the best 

independent alpaca magazine visit www.alpacaworldmagazine.com 

Rachel Hebditch T 01884 243579 M 07816 912212 

E rachel@classicalalpacas.freeserve.co.uk 

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Telephone: 01539 567922 or E-mail: alpacas@euphony.net 


Concepts of Peru 

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Tel: 020 8855 3282 Fax: 020 8855 6953 

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Books about all aspects 

of the alpaca from 

Classical MileEnd Alpacas 

www.alpaca-uk.co.uk 

NEW 

The Alpaca Colour Key 

by Elizabeth Paul 

See the extract on 

page 44 

Now available Eric 

Hoffman’s The Complete Alpaca 

Book a must for all alpaca and 

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Also recently published The 

Reproductive Process of South 

American Camelids by 

P. Walter Bravo, DVM, MS, PhD. 

Detailed book about male and 

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Send a cheque payable to MileEnd 

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MileEnd Alpacas, Hendom Farm, 

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