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Title
Alpacas - Fantasy Farms - Alpacas for Sale - Oregon
Description
By Way of Introduction . . .
The alpaca is one of four species of South American camelids. (The other three are the llama which is also a domestic animal and the vicuna and guanaco which exist only in the wild.) All are browsers and grazers and, being similar to ruminants, chew their cud. They share the camel's even toed, padded foot and unique style of lying (kushing) down with their front legs bent and directed backwards. Camelids are smaller than camels and lack the latter's distinctive hump. The alpaca is the smallest of the domesticated South American camelids and is known for its abundant, fine fiber and gentle nature.
Until quite recently alpacas were almost non-existent outside of their native land, and few persons in this country could do more than associate the word "alpaca" with a luxurious type of sweater. Now that alpacas are establishing themselves in North America, more people are getting a glimpse of these delightful wooly animals and are asking questions about them.
A Brief History of Alpacas
As a group, South American camelids date back two million years. Current theory suggests that the alpaca is a descendent of the vicuna with its domestication taking place some six to seven thousand years ago. Alpaca breeding and husbandry reached a peak in the 11th and 12th centuries AD under the Inca Empire. During this period alpaca and llama breeding was conducted by a state organization whose members all belonged to a special nobility. Alpacas were the most valuable domestic animals of the time and were intensively selected for production of copious, fine fiber and for the perpetuation of the species. Through the centuries alpacas have also served as a source of meat and played an important role in the religion of their caretakers. Two consequences of the 16th century Spanish conquest--the arrival of new domestic animals from Europe and the development of mining as the most lucrative business activity in Peru--drove the alpaca from its pedestal in the Inca Empire and relegated the species to the higher elevations of Bolivia and Peru. Alpaca numbers dropped and husbandry practices deteriorated in the hands of the native Andean herders whose very life was a struggle on harsh "alto plano." Finally in the 1920's, appreciation for alpaca fiber experienced a rebirth. By the 1980's alpaca fiber production had risen to a strategic economic resource in Peru. Today Peru, which has over 85% of the world population of alpacas, considers the species a natural resource worthy of protection.
Contact
- Fantasy Farms
-
- Redmond OR
- United States 97756
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- +1 .5415042255
