Simone is one of the female alpacas owned by the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., near Terre Haute.
You’ve probably heard of a llama, but have you ever heard of their cousin the alpaca? They come from the countries Peru and Chile. An adult alpaca is usually as tall as a yardstick at their withers (another name for shoulders). Hey! That’s nothing to shrug your withers at! Their weight ranges from 100 to 175 pounds. They usually live for 15 to 25 years.
Alpacas are very important to the environment. They give back to the land what we take away. Humans take away from Earth by drilling for oil, spraying pesticides on farmland and building roads. When alpacas leave their droppings on the ground that improves the land. The Sisters of Providence have a garden every summer and alpaca droppings are put on their organic vegetable garden as fertilizer.
Read on for more alpaca facts.
Birth
A baby alpaca is called a cria. Crias are usually born in the morning and weigh 15-19 pounds when they are born.
Color
There are 22 different natural colors of alpaca fiber (or fur). There are different shades of white, black, gray, brown and off-white.
This woman is knitting with yarn made from alpaca fiber.
Shearing them like sheep
Alpacas only get a haircut once a year. The fiber (or fur) is clipped with special clipping shears, kind of like the ones the barber uses. Barbers or hair stylists sweep up the hair from our heads, but we save the alpaca’s hair in big bags because it is made into yarn. The same kind of yarn your mom or grandma uses to knit or crochet a blanket or a sweater.
What do they eat?
Alpacas have three-compartment stomachs, just like camels. (A cow has four stomachs.) Alpacas chew their cud like cattle and sheep. They only eat 2 to 3 bales of hay per month. Most of them also are fed vitamins to keep them healthy and strong.
What about their personalities?
Alpacas are very gentle and curious. They will occasionally spit at each other, but not usually at people.
What sounds do they make?
Alpacas talk to each other by moving their ears and tails and by the way they strut around. They make a humming sound and a shrill alarm call when scared or worried.
This woman is weaving a scarf with yarn on this loom.
Want to adopt an alpaca?
White Violet Farm Alpacas at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., near Terre Haute, is a ministry of the Sisters of Providence. Here’s how the adopt an alpaca program works. A gift of $100 cares for your adopted alpaca for a year, covering feed and routine medical costs. You will receive a picture and information on your alpaca. (You can visit him or her, too!)
Fiber
After the fiber is sheared from the alpaca and cleaned it is made into yarn. This process is called spinning. From the handmade yarn people knit, crochet or weave it into garments such as scarves, shawls, and sweaters.
Not all of the fiber is made into yarn. Some of it is used for felting items.
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