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Home Alpacas Alpacas for Sale Our Foundation Herd Investment Lifestyle North American Alpaca History Alpaca Facts Goats Our Foundation Herd Purebred Sales List Commercial Sales List Goat Facts Baa Hollar Farms HC 65 Box 6012 Romney, WV (304) 822-6065  Member since 2003 |
Origins of Alpacas The Spanish conquest saw much of the Alpaca population slaughtered to make way for sheep and cattle on the low lands of South America. Those animals that survived did so at four to five thousand metres above sea level on the high Altiplano of the Andes. They survived because of their importance to the indigenous population, their ability to live at high attitudes and under conditions that cannot sustain other domestic animals Alpacas (Camelidae Lama pacos) are native to the Andes mountains in South America. Domestication of the Alpaca commenced in South America about 6,000 years ago. Alpacas are closely related to the llamas, but are smaller, with denser softer fibre. In South America, alpacas are raised to produce fibre while llamas are raised as pack animals. Whereas the Llama was breed to be ‘a beast of burden,’ the Alpaca was selectively breed for its luxurious fibre. There are an estimated three million alpacas in the world. The majority are in the South American countries of Peru, Chile and Bolivia. The North American population of alpacas is estimated to be 50,000 animals, with 12,000 being in Canada. Commercial alpaca industries are also being established in Australia and Europe to take advantage of existing infrastructures that support the fibre industry. The United States In the United States, there is an estimate of 45,000+ alpacas. Huacayas make of the majority of the population. Suris are a rarer breed and make up about 1% of the total population. The Alpaca Registry is closed to imported animals. Industry Commercial alpaca production is a relatively new business that has grown rapidly due to the following factors. |