by Larry Bannier Thirty Years With Llamas

The Creation of SSLA

In The Beginning...

by Larry Bannier

Laurelwood Farm • Signal Mountain TN

I have raised birds and exotic animals for most of my life. In 1980 while browsing through my bird magazine I saw a small ad that read 'llama for sale” I pursued it and bought my first six-month-old male llama named Zuma.

I had Zuma trained for pack trips, parades, schools and nursing home visits. I caught the llama bug. While trying to find a female llama I learned there were none in Tennessee (if there were I couldn't find one). I also discovered there was no one including local veterinarians that knew anything about llamas in my area.

After a few phone calls I found breeders in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nebraska that had a few female llamas for sale and who could help me with any problems that may arise. So I was on a mission to build a small herd.

When Brad Sprouse delivered one of his females to me I remember showing him my “herd sire” Zuma that I was going to use for breeding to my newly acquired females. Brad didn't say much at the time but when he returned home he was so distressed about what I showed him he just had to call me to give me the news. “Zuma was not a llama and recommended that I not breed him to my girls”, “Zuma is a guanaco” I didn't know what that was. I was in real need of information.

I learned that Dick and Kay Patterson had the largest herd of llamas in the country so now I was in search of a new herd sire, totally unrelated to my girls and of a good bloodline. So there I was in route to Sisters, Oregon to purchased Genghis Kahn, a Dr. Doolittle son.

While out west I discovered this network among llama breeders where they could meet regularly to discuss their llamas share information and just have fun with their animals. How wonderful was that! I soon joined the International Llama Association (ILA) and began attending their annual conferences out west, California, Oregon, Montana, and Colorado where I met all kinds of folks from the Southeast.

Many of the local folks that I met thought that it was about time that we develop an organization here in the South where we could meet and develop a community among llama owners to learn more about our animals and just have fun together. After much discussion a group of llama owners met at the farm of Jim and Lillian Grant in Dallas, GA.

In 1987 we formed this association which we called the Sunshine States Llama Association (SSLA). [Later the name was changed to Southern States Llama Association]. The first meeting was very lively with much enthusiasm. We even learned that there were local veterinarians that were knowledgeable about llama health and were interested in joining the association.

So here we are 30 years later, where everyone can afford a llama now. We have knowledgeable people all around that can help and educate and share information, but most of all everyone is still out there enjoying their llamas.

About the Author: Larry Bannier is one of the founding members of SSLA. Although he is no longer breeding, he still has a small herd of seven “retirees,” a pet emu and a flock of chickens. The front fifty acres if his 270 acre farm have now been transformed into a beautiful venue for weddings. His retired llamas now live a more laidback life with only an occasional photo-op with a new bride. Larry spends most of his free time taking care of the grounds at the farm. In addition, he maintains garden crops, twenty varieties of apples, several varieties of pears, grapes, muscadines and berries all of which he sells at the local farmers market, along with wonderful eggs produced by his chickens. If that wasn’t enough he still finds the time to work as a landscape designer.