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Alpacas are part of the South American Camelid family… other members of this family include:

 

Llamas

are traditionally pack animals and are the largest of the South American Camelids.  Llamas can weigh up to 180kg and stand approx. 1.25m at the shoulder.  Llamas are strong, intelligent, hardy animals with a gently temperament and inquisitive nature.  They have distinctive banana shaped ears and are found in a variety of colours from solid white to black and varying shades and mixes of brown and grey.

 

 

 

Guanaco

are elegant and fine boned and stand approx 1.06m at the shoulder and weigh around 90 kg. Like the llama, the guanaco is double coated with a coarse guard hair and soft undercoat. The colour varies very little, ranging from a light brown to dark cinnamon and shading to white underneath. Guanacos have grey faces and small straight ears.

 

 

 

 

 

Vicuna

are the smallest of the Camelid family standing at just 0.8-1.1m at the shoulder. They typically weigh in the region of 45-55kg.  Vicunas are extremely refined and delicate to look at, being a cinnamon colour with an apron of long white hair on their chest. The vicuña is-a very timid animal and lives on the high, lonely parts of the mountain ranges.  Vicuna offers the finest and most exquisite fibre in the world.

http://www.projectperu.org.uk/peru.htm

 

Alpaca History

 

Pre-Incan Alpacas

Alpacas are believed to have been used in societies of the Central Andes for around 6,000 years.  They were domesticated through shepherding and breeding from around 3500 BC.  Pre-Incan cultures used alpacas for clothing and nourishment, and it was the Inca society that were first believed to have had systematic breeding programs for camelids, carefully selecting alpacas based on certain characteristics and colours, just as we do with our modern breeding program management.

 

Role of Alpacas in the Incan Society

The Incans in South America used alpaca wool for textiles along with cotton and other camelid fibres. They were expert hand-weavers, making amazing fabrics with these fibres and realised the many benefits of using this wool which they often reserved the fabrics for royalty.  Nobles were rewarded with alpaca cloth for being loyal, Incan armies were paid with alpaca-based textiles, defeated lords were given bundles of alpaca textiles to soothe them after a defeat.  The Incans had storehouses full of alpaca material and when the armies retreated from a battle, they deliberately burned these storehouses.

 

Incan religious ceremonies often involved alpacas. According to mythology, some Incans associated alpacas with a goddess called "Pachmana," or "Earth Mother."  These Incans believed that alpacas were a gift from Pachmana or lent to them as long as they raised and took good care of them.  According to legend, alpacas were offered as a gift on the mountain called Ausangate in Peru.

 

Spanish Invasion

For hundreds of years, the Incans enjoyed a simple, peaceful life of raising alpacas and living off the land.  However, the Incan way of life would abruptly come to an end as a result of a Spanish invasion that occurred during the reign of Lord Atahuallpa.  The Spanish Conquistadors came to the area and knew how important alpacas were to the Incan society.  They strangled Lord Atahuallpa after he led them to a treasure of gold and slaughtered alpacas and llamas throughout the area. Some accounts record that as many as 90% of South American alpacas were killed during this time. Natives were able to save a few alpacas by getting them to safety at the altiplano.

 

After the invasion, a remnant of Incans and alpacas were left, but the systematic breeding of the Incans would forever be lost. They began to crossbreed, and this caused a deterioration of the quality of animals and wool. By the 1700s, there was a small remnant of native herds left in Peru, Chile and Bolivia - typically in the high altiplano region.

 

The Discovery of Alpacas by the Western World

During the 1800s alpaca fabric was discovered by Sir Titus Salt, who was at that time a young manufacturer in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.  The Bradford of 1836 had become a centre for textile manufacturing.  Alpaca fabric became viable when cotton warps were introduced into the Bradford industry, whereas previous attempts on a large scale had failed.  Sir Titus Salt then began using alpaca fabric in his factory with the intention that his garments were to be worn by the noble and elite class of England.  Sir Titus Salt promoted the use of alpaca wool to some of the most elaborate fashion houses and textile mills in Europe. 

In 1858, alpacas were introduced to Australia by a man named Charles Ledger, it is believed that none of these animals were to survive.  Alpacas were imported to the United States and Canada in 1984, followed by Australia and New Zealand in 1989.

 

The Environmentally Friendly Alpaca

Alpacas are very environmentally friendly to breed.

When alpacas graze, they eat grass by only breaking it midway on the blade, the grass roots remain in the ground, keeping the grass planted firmly and neat.

Alpacas have soft padded feet that will not damage the ground where they reside.

Alpacas generally eat less than other livestock because their stomach has three compartments, which enables them to convert the food they eat to energy very effectively.  They drink less water because they are part of the camelid family.

Alpaca dung has been recycled as fertiliser.  Alpacas instinctively create their own communal dung pile with less parasite infection as the result.