Adorable alpacas
Anna:
May 19th, 2007
I went to a smallholders show today in Mid Wales and, no, everyone wasn’t wearing barbour jackets and green wellies. There was a certain amount of tradition, stereotypicial country bumpkin behaviour and ceremony on show though. What was also on show was a fine collection of camelids - alpacas and llamas to be precise. The scrunchy-faced, over-woolly alpacas seemed very sweet but a little overawed by the occasion. The llamas though, rose to the challenge, and perfected their haughty gaze and “am I bovvered?” stance whenever any member of the show-going public dared to glance at them. I’ve always liked llamas, especially since I visited Peru, where they were fleecing tourists (with the help of human accomplices) by posing for photos in exchange for cash at Machu Picchu. The American visitors seemed especially gullible, which cemented the Anna-llama friendship further still. The llamas today, despite being quite accustomed to handling, thought the “assault course” of straw bales and slalom of willow branches was completely beneath them and put on a fine display of spitting, rearing and backing off. One even broke free from its handler and cantered off to the far end of the show ground. Llamas were, the head handler honcho assured everyone, placid, long-lived animals which were ideally suited to the UK. I’m quite tempted to get a few sometime in the future when I have a house with a field attached! Anyone who is intrigued should check out the website of the British Camelids Association.