Alpacas In The Community

Alpacas in the

Community By Tamaryn Kimber

The thing I love about Alpacas is that they make everyone smile. One of the special things I have been able to do is take Alpacas to some special events where they have helped break social barriers.

The first event I took alpacas to was a ‘Melbourne Show Day” at the new Mercy Montrose aged care facility. We took three of our animals along, Jasper, Ferdinand and Minstrel. They are all friendly animals and used to being around people and taken to different places.

We set up a pen outside the building and all the residents came down to sit in an outdoor area. They all got to walk past the Alpacas and were able to come up close and touch their fleece. It made them all happy to see such cute animals. Some of the people had demen�a and they kept saying the same thing. But that was ok. For the show day they had entertainers and dogs to start off the show. A�er the magician, I took Jasper around to all the residents on a halter. Even when dogs barked at him, he kept calm. Everyone really loved seeing and touching the Alpacas. I am sure it is something they will remember.

The second event I took Alpacas to, was to a charity lunch on Christmas day. This was for the Ferntree Gully Community Christmas day lunch run by Foothills Community Care. They make a lunch for people who are lonely or can’t afford food for Christmas lunch. We took Jasper and Nova along to meet them. Everyone really appreciated seeing them and the kids really loved it. There was an older man who was really excited and engaged to see the animals. It was great to help people enjoy their Christmas day.