KentuckyAlpacaAssociation.org
Title
Kentucky Alpaca Association
Description
The alpaca is one of four members of the camelid species of South America. The other three are the llama, which is also domesticated, the vicuna and the guanaco, which exist only in the wild. The alpaca is thought to have descended from the vicuna.
Alpacas were a cherished treasure of the ancient Incan civilization and played a central role in the Incan culture that was located on the high Andean Plateau and mountains of South America. With the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, other domestic animals from Europe slowly replaced the alpaca. The number of alpaca dropped until the 1920's when a new appreciation for alpaca fiber began. By the 1980's the production of alpaca fiber had become a strategic economic resource in Peru. Alpacas were first imported to the United States in 1984 and are now being successfully raised and enjoyed throughout North America and abroad. Alpacas are still quite rare, with only about 30,000 residing in North America today.
Alpacas produce one of the world's finest and most luxurious natural fibers. During the reign of the Incas, alpaca fiber was reserved for only the Incan nobility and high-ranking officials. It is clipped once a year from the animal without causing it injury. Soft as cashmere and warmer, lighter and stronger than wool, it comes in 22 basic colors, more colors than any other fiber producing animal. Spinners and weavers around the world prize this cashmere-like fleece. There are two types of alpacas - the Huacaya and the Suri. Huacayas are fluffy with fine, crimpy fiber. The Suri's fiber curls in a spiral to form lustrous locks.
Contact
- Wombat Farm
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- Georgetown Kentucky
- United States 40324
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- +1.18596085652
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