Alpacas in Italy
Alpacas in Italy
What are alpacas?
Alpacas are members of the camelid family.They are cousins of llama, vicuna, guanaco and camels. They are about the size of a very big sheep but they have very long necks.
Alpacas orginate from the altiplano in Peru and Chile in South America where they live in big herds at 4500 metres high.
Alpacas are primarily bred for their wool which is called fibre. This is collected every year through shearing and each alpaca will give 1-3 kg of fibre. In South America alpaca meat is a part of the diet of the local people but is not usually eaten in other countries where the fibre is considered to be more valuable.
Where are alpacas bred outside South America?
Alpacas have been bred in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. In UK there are about 40000 alpacas and in many other European countries such as Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands the size of the national herd is growing.
In Italy there are estimated to be 1500-2000 alpacas but as there is no national registry this is only an estimate.
Why have alpacas in Italy?
Italy has for centuries been recognised for its wool and textiles. Italian fashion houses have imported alpaca yarn commercially from Peru for use in clothing. However due to the natural living movement people have shown an interest in breeding their own alpacas and using the fibre to produce their own products which are sold on the farm or in markets and, more recently, through the internet.
People have alpacas for a number of reasons:
1. As Pets - alpacas are beautiful graceful and gentle animals which can become quite tame when they are used to their owners. Children love alpacas and alpacas love children! They are not as biddable as dogs but certainly most are trained to accept a halter and lead and can be taken, in pairs, for walks in the countryside and for picnics.
2. As an Attraction to another business - as alpacas are still unusual in Italy and because they are so beautiful they can attract visitors to farms, fattorie didattice, agriturismi, hotels and countryside parks. Also their fibre is sold to people who like to spin, knit or weave their own wool. Alpaca yarn and products are also sold to the visitors. This is a useful form of income.
3. As a Breeding Business - alpacas are kept in herds with good quality males for breeding. The females have one baby called a cria every year. Income is generated by selling adult females, usually pregnant, and by selling as pets those males which are not considered of high enough quality for breeding. Crias and young alpacas are usually retained in the herd to produce the next generation.
Breeding males are hired to other breeders for matings.
Alpacas are easy to manage and, provided they are kept in groups and have space to roam that is free from predators and good quality grass and hay to eat they not very expensive to keep. They can live with sheep and goats but find horses and cattle too frightening!
They bring hours of pleasure to family and friends and soon become ‘part of the family’!
