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Information About Alpacas
History
Alpacas have flourished in South America for several thousand
years. The Inca civilization of the Andes Mountains in
Peru elevated the alpaca to a central place in their society. Inca
royalty clothed themselves in alpaca garments, and many Inconnu
religious ceremonies involved the animals. Museums throughout
the Americas display textiles made from alpaca fiber.
The Spanish conquistadors failed to see the value of alpaca
fiber; they preferred the merino sheep wool of their native
Spain. For several hundred years, alpaca fiber remained
a well-kept secret. It was not until the mid 1800s that
Sir Titus Salt of London, England rediscovered alpaca. The
newly industrialized English textile industry was at its peak
when Sir Titus began studying the unique properties of alpaca
fiber. He discovered that alpaca fiber is stronger than
sheep's wool and that its strength did not diminish with the
fineness of the staple. Soon, the alpaca textiles that
he fashioned from the soft, lustrous fleece made their
mark throughout Europe.
Even today, 99% of the world's alpaca population of approximately
three million is found in Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. Alpacas
were first introduced into the U.S. for breeding in 1984;
as of December, 2004, there are nearly 68,000 alpacas in the
US and Canada.
Physical Characteristics of Alpacas
 An
alpaca is approximately one-half the size of a llama. Their
weight ranges widely, from 90 to 175 pounds, and they measure
30-34 inches at the withers. Their form is more rounded
than llamas, with a low tail set, shorter muzzle, and speared
shaped ears. Their teeth suggest that they are probably
descended from wild vicuna. For one thing, vicunas and
most alpacas have no enamel on the tongue side of their teeth. Alpacas
belong to the camelid family and this similarity to the vicuna
has led some scientists to change their designation from Lama
pacos to Vicuna pacos.
Alpacas have an eleven month gestation period. Females
are bred typically about their eighteenth to twenty-fourth
month. A male alpaca does not usually begin breeding
until he reaches three years old. At birth, the average
cria (baby) weighs about 13-14 pounds. Alpacas usually
emit an alarm call when they are worried or want to call attention
to something. Spitting at humans is the exception, not
the rule. Alpacas are curious animals and love to come
up to people and sniff their faces. They will hum, cluck,
or warble on occasion. They are very observant and seem
particularly in tune to the body language of humans. Alpacas
reveal a strong tendency to band together when frightened,
and they generally are easy to handle due to their small size
and amiable behavior.
 Alpaca Fiber
Alpacas are prized for their dense and lustrous fiber. Today,
the center of the multi-million dollar alpaca textile industry
is in Arequipa, Peru. Yarn and other products made from
alpacas are sold primarily in either Japan or Europe. Alpaca
fleeces are sorted into seven basic color groups: black, silver
gray, rose gray, brown, fawn, light fawn, and white. Michell
and Inca Tops, two large wool-processing mills near Arequipa,
Peru, further separate the fleeces into twenty-one colors
that are varying hues of the basics.
The fleeces are also sorted in categories. Huacaya has
a crimp in the fiber that enhances its use in weaving and
spinning. Suri is a straight fiber with no crimp and
a wonderful luster. Chili is a straight fiber fleece
that is coarser than the suri. Most alpacas, about 90
percent, have fleeces of the huacaya quality.
Alpacas, guanaco, llama, and vicuna fiber from a standpoint
of cellular structure, are the same. The fiber is hollow,
so it's very light, yet has remarkable qualities of insulation. Although
alpaca and llama are both used in South America, the principal
native domestic fiber animal is the alpaca. Animals are
shorn once every year, and the yield ranges from five to ten
pounds per animal. Currently, there is only a cottage
market for the fiber in the US Fiber prices start from
$3.50 per ounce and increase with the quality of the fiber.
Alpacas: The Earth Friendly Farm Animal
Alpacas have been domesticated for more than 5,000 years. They
are one of Mother Nature's most environmentally sensitive
farm animals. The following physical attributes allow
alpacas to maintain this harmony:
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The alpaca's feet are padded and leave
even the most delicate grasses and terrain undamaged
as it grazes.
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The alpaca is a very economical ruminant.
It has three separate stomach compartments that allow
it to convert grass and hay to energy very efficiently.
One horse requires more hay than 50 alpacas.
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The alpaca is a member of the camelid
family and can thrive without consuming much water;
however, a clean fresh water supply is necessary.
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The alpaca does not usually eat or destroy
trees. It prefers to nibble on tender grasses;
it does not pull up grass by the roots.
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Alpacas process grass and hay so efficiently
that gardeners use alpaca dung as fertilizer for fruits
and vegetables even without composting. South
American Indians use alpaca dung for fuel.
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An alpaca herd consolidates its feces
and urine in one or two spots in the pasture.
This makes it much easier to control the spread of parasites
and to perform daily cleanup.
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An alpaca produces enough fleece per
year for several luxurious, soft, warm sweaters.
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Advantages of Alpacas
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Alpacas are safe; they do not bite or
butt. Even if they did, little harm would be done
since they have no incisors, horns, hoofs, or claws.
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Alpacas are small, easy to handle, and
make excellent pets.
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Alpacas produce a fine, lustrous, and
very valuable fleece.
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Alpacas are intelligent and extremely
curious; this makes them very pleasant to be around
and easy to train.
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Alpacas are beautiful animals; their
fleeces come in 22 well defined colors from white to
black and every imaginable shade of brown from fawn
to maroon and every imaginable shade of gray from silver
to charcoal.
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Alpacas require minimal fencing.
They do not challenge fences - fences are for the most
part designed to keep predators out, not alpacas in.
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Alpacas are considered to be very disease
resistant, which makes for lower veterinarian costs
and lower insurance costs. They require minimal
care and maintenance.
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Alpacas can be pastured at 5-10 per
acre.
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Alpacas are easy to ship or transport;
this allows them to be shown or traded across the country
or around the world.
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Alpacas are extremely adaptable to varied
habitat and climatological environments.
They have been raised successfully from Australia to
Alaska to New Mexico - from sea level to the 15,000
foot elevations of the Andes Mountains.
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