Includes facts, farming information, and a basic description. Members of the South American camelid family, alpacas were bred over 6,000 years ago from the wild vicuna. Predating even the Inca Empire, alpacas, and their cousin, the llama, were the only domesticated livestock in the New World before the arrival of the Europeans. They were an integral part of the culture and lifestyle of their Andean caretakers, serving as a source of food, fuel, clothing and transportation. With the Spanish Conquest of the Incas came the almost total annihilation of the alpaca and llama, along with much of the human population. Bred to be survivors, these hardy camelids prevailed in the unforgiving conditions of the Altiplano. Alpacas are intelligent, highly social animals, easy to care for and handle, appealing to look at and fun to have around. They communicate mainly through body posturing and a gentle humming sound. Llamas typically range in size from about 100200Kg whereas alpacas are about 7090Kg. While having many features in common each animal has been bred for different purposes.

Telephone: 09 434 3046
Fax: 09 434 3024
Website: http://www.alpacas.co.nz/Alpaca%20Information.htm