Winter - Classical Mileend Alpacas

Motcombe
Motivators
Elizabeth Saville of Motcombe Alpacas says,
‘If the children had a cheque book we would
have sold all the cria four times over! One nine
year old gave me his telephone number to phone
and tell his Dad when to come and collect two!’
56 Alpaca World Magazine Winter 2004/05
We have had primary school
visits to this conservation
farm for several years. These
visits have covered various aspects of
environmental studies, looking for fl ora
and signs of wild animal activity. With
conventional cattle and sheep grazing
the fi elds, the inevitable ‘please can
we stroke them?’ has simply not been
possible.
However, the arrival of alpacas on to
the farm earlier this year opened up a
whole new range of possibilities. I looked
forward to seeing what impact they
would have on the children, especially
the ones who do not have the opportunity
to handle large animals. I was equally
intrigued to see how the alpacas would
react to an invasion of excited, energetic,
small people.
The younger children can be very
unsure of meeting a strange animal
– let alone getting close – and there
are always those of any age who feel
that they ‘don’t want to’, often simply
because they don’t have the confi dence
to try anything new!
We bought pregnant alpacas with a
view to taming their cria at a very young
age, following the guidelines of the
American John Mallon, who halter-trains
llamas and alpacas at only twelve days
old.
The fi rst school visits in July gave
the children a huge surprise to see that
alpacas had arrived at Motcombe Farm!
The teachers were quick to use the
opportunity to discuss the geography of
South America, and how different life
was, here in Britain, for the alpacas. We
were bombarded with questions and
the interest was intense, although they
couldn’t take their eyes off the novel
camelids in the fi eld. The children could
hardly contain their excitement, yet we
had to ask them to keep reasonably
quiet so as not to scare the alpacas.
‘Do they spit?’ ‘Yes!’ I replied, at which
they fell about laughing and wanted a
demonstration!
We had kept quiet about how biddable
alpacas are, so while the teachers took
the children off through the woods and
down the farm on a wild fl ower foray, I
gathered the alpacas into their holding
pen and put a halter on the two older cria
(aged two months).
When the school group returned, we
allowed four children at a time into the
pen, and they had to respect the animals
by trying to move slowly and quietly – a
good lesson in husbandry. The cria were
extremely responsive and positively
lapped up all the gentle stroking and
admiration.
It was interesting to see that the
mothers did not appear stressed, and
before the visit was over two of them
actually ate a tit-bit from four excited
little hands – with giggles of, ‘Oh, it
tickles my hand’.
True to reputation, the un-haltered
alpacas showed us how quietly they
stand with no running off – rather taking
a step nearer to investigate the situation.
Initially it was most amusing to see how
they bunched together, looked fi rst at the
children then towards me as much as to
say, ‘Friends or foe?’
The alpacas obviously could not decide
whether to be defensive with these
small humans! But quickly they were just
standing and resignedly allowing their
soft fl eece to be felt. There has never
been any indication of them wanting to
‘see off’ any child. Having had all the
conventional farm animals and ponies
over the years, we cannot believe the
different behaviour of alpacas. Whereas
you would expect most animals to run
out into the fi eld when fi nally let out,
the alpacas just hung around looking
inquisitively at the round-up of pupils,
just out of reach. Their gentle behaviour
transmits to the children who are so
much quieter than usual.
During their subsequent visits, we
have shown the children how to take
the cria for a walk along the yard, round
the pond in a paddock and back to base.
It is sheer joy for me to see such grins
on the children’s faces and the obvious
enjoyment of the cria, who behave even
better with them than they do with me.
It seems that they recognise and respond
to other as youngsters. The main lesson
to be taught to the school children before
we can let them lead the cria is to show
calm body-language. The children have to
curb their natural exuberance, including
fl inging about of arms and jumping,
because their arms are at alpaca eye
level and make the young cria pull back
in alarm.
The children have experienced
something they have never dreamed of
– as one said ‘Oh this is like being on
telly’.
Alpacas give everyone so much
pleasure and it is lovely to be able to
share this with the school visitors, and
many adults as well. Whereas cattle can
only be looked at, the alpacas can be
touched. We have found this has given
the shyest child so much confi dence.
By the end of the visits almost all the
children have stroked or walked a cria
and a few have been brave enough to
feel the adult fl eeces. What have the
alpacas taught the visitors? To behave
quietly and consider animals, to respect
their habits, and a lot about South
America.
If the children had a cheque book we
would have sold all the cria four times
over! One nine year old gave me his
telephone number to phone and tell his
Dad when to come and collect two! •