ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
Summer 2014 £7.00 where sold
DEFINING MALES HERDSIRE SPECIAL KEEPING A HIGH PROFILE
MONITORING FIBRE FOLLICLE DEVELOPMENT IN ALPACAS
Where in the World JAY HOLLAND HITS THE ROAD
Sweet Harmony
ALPACAS AND MINING IN PERU
WHERE EAGLES DARE
BEHIND THE SCENES OF AN ALPACA GUARD TRIAL
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CONTENTS
Classical Publishing Ltd Š 2014 Issue 50 Summer 2014 ISSN 1477–7088 Editor: Rachel Hebditch Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8NB Telephone: 01884 243579 Mobile: 07540 748803 Email: rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk Advertising: Heidi Hardy Telephone 01598 752799 Email: heidi@ alpacaworldmagazine.com Copy deadline for the next issue: 12th September 2014 Design and Production: TRG Design 68 Rivermead Road Exeter EX2 4RL Telephone: 01392 279371 Email: info@trgdesign.com www.trgdesign.com Printed in England by: Advent Colour 19 East Portway Ind. Est., Andover SP10 3LU The material contained in Alpaca World Magazine is compiled by the publishers for information purposes only. Although the material included has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, no guarantees are given as to its accuracy or completeness. Readers are reminded that expert advice should always be sought in individual cases. Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of the material contained in this issue the publisher does not accept responsibility for any loss arising out of such changes or inaccuracies nor for any other loss suffered as a result of information contained in this issue. Notice to Advertisers: It is a condition of acceptance of advertisement orders that the publishers, Classical Publishing Ltd, do not guarantee the insertion of a particular advertisement on a specific date, or at all, although every effort will be made to meet the wishes of advertisers; further the company does not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by any error or inaccuracy in the printing or non appearance of any advertisement, or if we decide to edit or delete any objectionable wording, or reject any advertisement. Although every advertisement is carefully checked, occasionally mistakes do occur. We therefore ask advertisers to assist us by checking their advertisements carefully and to advise us by the deadline given should an error occur. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than one incorrect insertion and that no republication or discount will be granted in the case of typographic or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement.
WELCOME
The only independent magazine reporting on the international alpaca industry. Distributed by subscription worldwide and through country stores across the UK, Alpaca World Magazine reaches the largest readership in its market.
WELCOME TO THE SUMMER EDITION OF ALPACA WORLD. I IMAGINE YOU ARE ALL VERY BUSY WITH SHEARING, BIRTHING AND RE-MATING AND, MAYBE, GOING ON HOLIDAY! We hope you enjoy Jay Holland's travelogue and Diane House's long but successful struggle to secure her alpaca business and a roof over her family's head as well. No doubt you will recognise some of the defining males featured in this issue when you look back through your pedigrees. They have had a huge impact, particularly, if like me, you remember the alpacas we all started with eighteen years ago. Mike Safley called them 'the puny brethren back home' when he first came across Accoyos in Peru. The British Alpaca Futurity is back in the show calendar for 2015 on the last weekend in March after a year off. International judges Wade Gease and Peter Kennedy will be judging the halter classes and the fleece show. There will be a brand new textile show, the P-Lush Show hosted by designer Belinda HarrisReid and theatre director Rachel Vowles, in Hall 3A at the NEC alongside the alpaca show. It is going to be a busy spring.
CONTENTS Alpaca World Magazine Summer 2014 NEWS 4 British Alpaca Futurity 2015 5 Alpaca Classic 5 Australian National Show 6 German Breed Survey 6 AlpacaShow NorthWest, Germany 8 Royal Bath & West Show 8 Devon County Show 8 North Somerset Show 10 Three Counties Show 10 Heart of England Fleece Show 11 Lightning Strike DEFINING MALES 46 Introduction 48 The Purrumbete Super Six 50 Bozedown Dazzler and Galaxy
52 54
Accoyo's Lineage Dream Boys
FEATURES 12 Murray Fowler Obituary 16 Fibre Growth Profiles 20 Jay Holland: Where In The World 26 Alpacas and Sea Eagles: an Alpaca Guard Trial 32 Diane House: Hook, Line and Sinker 40 United in the States: ACOA 58 The Infamous Five: Chlostridial Vaccination 66 Alpacas and Mining REGULAR ITEMS 73 Breeders directory
32
20
46
Cover photo: Defining Male: Suri Wonder Dream
www.alpacaworldmagazine.com ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 3
NEWS
If you have news of events or developments within the alpaca industry which you would like to share with others please send it to: The Editor, Alpaca World Magazine, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8NB, United Kingdom Email: info@alpacaworldmagazine.com
PLUSH ADDITION TO THE FUTURITY BRITISH ALPACA FUTURITY, MARCH 2015
THE BRITISH ALPACA FUTURITY 2015 has lined up top international judges Peter Kennedy (Australia) and Wade Gease (USA) for this prestigious show on Friday March 27 and Saturday March 28. The show will be held in Hall 3A at the National Exhibition Centre Birmingham that has first class rail, air and motorway links to the rest of the UK and Europe. The show is hosted by a group of British breeders to showcase British alpaca breeding to the rest of the world. Sponsorship opportunities, application forms for trade stands and booking forms for nominated males
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will be on the website in August. All sponsors, companies taking stands and nominated males will be showcased on the website from the payment date.
Belinda Harris-Reid
The p-LUSH Show, an innovative textile show, will be the latest new venture for the Futurity with 70 plus stands, workshops featuring the brightest young designers and
makers and hosted by the designer Belinda Harris-Reid and theatre director Rachel Vowles. Designer/makers, hand dyers, people working in the world of fibre, textile artists and companies selling exquisite hand-made objects and designs will be exhibiting at the Show, applauding the British making and designing industry. www. p-lush.co.uk
NEWS
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Alpaca Classic, 6-7 September 2014
THE ALPACA STUD AND BOZEDOWN ALPACAS are proud to announce Alpaca Classic 2014 on September 6 and 7, building on the success of the two previous events, and the industries' apparent appetite for more. Due to their obvious popularity last year Brett Kaysen and Cheryl Gehly are returning to weave more of their magic. This year, because
of our desire to bring new and exciting ideas to the Classic, Brett and Cheryl will be presenting a new, and we believe innovative, alpaca learning experience, with a twist. As in previous Classics, there will be an “all day bar”, along with lunch both days, and supper on Saturday, all designed to ensure an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere. We will however be
charging an admission charge this year, £15 per person or £20 for a couple. The Select Auction, with Brett Kaysen as the auctioneer, will again offer the opportunity to acquire world renowned genetics, with some of the very best of Alpacas from our own breeding programmes. In this Select Auction there will again be the “selection lots”, where you have the final
choice, an unequalled opportunity. Our speakers this year are: • Brett Kaysen – USA – Brett doing the Brett thing. • Cheryl Gehly – USA – Fleece Guru back by popular demand. • UK Alpaca Chas Brooke – UK – Making British yarn that buyers love.
21 YEARS OF CHAMPIONS Australian National Show & Sale 2014 THIS YEAR MARKS THE 21st BIRTHDAY of the Australian Alpaca Association National Show and Sale, an event conceived in 1993 by the founding fathers of the Australian alpaca industry and nurtured through to maturity by many other visionary and hard-working volunteers to become the must-see attraction that it is today. Bendigo, a major Victorian inland city, will host the 2014 Australian National Alpaca Show and Classic Auction from 18th to 21st September; the 21st birthday celebrations to be a feature of the event. Bendigo is situated 150 kms north west of Melbourne or about two hours easy drive from Tullamarine, Melbourne’s international airport. We expect over 700 entries for the halter show and over 300 entries for the fleece show, together with competitions for craft, art, photography, junior judging and junior paraders. The halter show is conducted over 4 days, culminating in the awarding of Supreme Champions and Best Colours on Saturday afternoon. Following the sashing of the Supremes, the final highlight of the 4 days is the National Classic Auction on Sunday afternoon.
Historically the Australian National Alpaca Show has produced some outstanding champions, both suri and huacaya, many carrying the bloodlines of the world-famous imported foundation sires and dams that have had such an impact on the development of the Australasian alpaca as we know it today. These championship lines have come to be prized and cherished by breeders in Australia and New Zealand. Indeed they have also become highly sought-after by the rest of the world, to secure the genetic improvements in their breeding programmes that are evident to all who participate in or visit the AAA National. For the past 21 years the names of the Australian champions, and in particular the Supreme Champions that grace the National honour rolls for both suris and huacayas have had their pedigrees researched,
quoted, marketed and been the subject of many discussions amongst alpaca aficionados around the world. No other alpaca competition in Australia stimulates as much discussion and interest as the National Show. More recently, the impact of previous National Champions from earlier years is well to the fore, with last year’s Supreme Champion Huacaya, Cambridge Streetwise carrying at least two previous National Supreme Champion sires in his pedigree, namely Purrumbete Brigantine and Jolimont Warrior. Likewise Suri Supreme Champions in 2011 and 2012, Surilana Illinois
No other alpaca competition in Australia stimulates as much discussion and interest as the National Show
and Surilana Surpass, were sired by previous National Supreme Champions, Surilana Piccolo and Surilana Mendoza respectively. Sometimes, as was the case in 2013 with Cambridge Streetwise, these Supreme Champions are put forward for the National Classic Auction providing an unequalled opportunity for other breeders from all over the world to bid on and obtain arguably the best alpaca in the land. So if you’re interested in seeing the crème-de-la crème of alpacas in Australia, visit us Down Under in the spring to celebrate 21 years of champions at Bendigo later this year. Check our Facebook Page (AAA National Show & Sale) for updates. We promise you a great time amongst lots of alpaca friends with social events and dinners interspersed with our famous halter show, fleece show and Auction. See you in September!
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 5
NEWS
BRANCHING OUT IN GERMANY
Elisabeth Freitag, Angelika Blum and Angelika Freitag report on a pioneering new survey, and the Alpacashow NorthWest 2014 A NEW BREED SURVEY FOR ALPACAS was started in April 2014 in the Northwest of Germany. For the first time, breeders could get their alpacas screened free of any association by two independent and skilled British judges. The basic idea was the necessity to concentrate more on the parameters that help owners to increase their breeding quality - not based on a relative system like in shows, but as objectively as possible. A grading system was developed that contains ideas from the ARI System from the USA, the Swiss scheme and the individual systems from several experienced alpaca breeders. In the resulting system, judges award points for the body, every part is judged and clearly documented, and for the subjective fibre parameters, handle, lustre/shine and crimp/ lockstyle. Furthermore, to obtain an evaluation of the
ON MARCH 15TH AND 16TH 2014, the Alpacashow NorthWest took place in Hamm. For the first time, an alpaca show in Germany focused not only on judging the presented alpacas coming from North, West, East and Central Germany, but also on presenting numerous useful and beautiful products related to our alpacas, houses, stables and more.
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objective fibre parameters, fibre samples were taken from three parts of the blanket, from the shoulder, the mid side and from the mid rump
Another topic was to show the various ways to work with our alpacas: therapy, trekking, an alpaca-drawn carriage and fibre processing by spinning by hand (shown by the Dutch national master of hand spinners Betty Gijsbertse), producing yarn, fabrics, beds, etc. Two short seminars presented the different aspects of the various methods of analyzing the alpaca fibre (which causes varying results, and therefore uncertainty) and the different economical sides of alpaca breeding and industry. For the first time in Germany, the alpacas were judged 60:40 for fibre and body. The British BAS judge Jay Holland did a very good job as he not only judged but took enough time to explain his decisions.
area. The samples were analyzed after minicoring by Sirolan-Laserscan in an I.W.T.O-certified laboratory in Australia. This system is used by most of the great spinning factories for whom we produce our fibre, so we decided to measure in a way compatible to their workflow. In the end, the owners are provided with all the results. This way, they receive a thorough support to improve their breeding that is much more effective and meaningful than any show result could be, as shows are only a relative system to compare the attending alpacas. The first Breed Survey was carried out in April 2014 by Mary-Jo Smith and Jay Holland, who did a great job and judged 46 alpacas of six owners (belonging to three different or no association) at three different locations in the North and West of Germany. In the spring of 2015, the next Breed Survey will be performed.
Thus, breeders and the public got the possibility to understand what was going on in the ring. His detailed comments were a great help for the owners and visitors. The Championship was awarded to the Australian bred alpaca MillDuck Manhatten, owner Petra Bergmann /Alpakas des Westerns. The Reserved Championship was given to AH Peruvian Christina, co-owned by Patrick Budde and Tobias Topp of Westfalen Alpacas.
The next Alpacashow NorthWest is already in preparation and will take place again in Hamm on April 11th and 12th 2015. Once again all breeders, owners and interested people are cordially invited by the ORGA Team.
Contact Roger Mount
on 01386 853 841 or 07711044106 Email: snowshillalpacas@btinternet.com Web: www.snowshillalpacas.com
Snowshill Alpacas,
Snowshill Hill Barn, Temple Guiting, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5XX
Snowshill Beethoven
Snowshill Ciscero
sire: Virococha Prophecy of Anzac dam: Merungle Audrey of Anzac
sire: Eringa Park Lionheart of Cambridge dam: Silverstream Escudo of Anzac
Snowshill Nicodemus
Snowshill Oberon (Suri)
sire: Snowshill Samuel dam: Snowshill Amelia
Snowshill Peregrin
sire: Wessex Cosmos dam: Hermione of Willaston
Snowshill Raphael (Suri)
sire: Andean Legacy of I-Spy dam: Snowshill Letitia
sire: Snowshill Raphael dam: Bozedown Dividend
Blackmore Vale Shaston Prince
sire: Coricancha Fernando of Wessex dam: Patience
Snowshill Shadow Dancer
sire: ARU Cambridge Ice Cool Lad dam: Cambridge Chocolate Button
Wellground Imber
sire: Moonstone Ridgway of Bozedown dam: Eve of Atlantic
Snowshill Orlando
sire: Virococha Prophecy of Anzac dam: Snowshill Perdita
Snowshill Ramises
sire: EP Cambridge Navigator of Accoyo dam: Snowshill Alexandra
Snowshill Vivaldi
sire: Blackmore Vale Shaston Prince dam: Snowshill Abbigail
Above is a selection of our Stud Males available for services in 2014. Fees range from ÂŁ350 to ÂŁ650. Significant discounts apply for multiple matings. Progeny can be viewed. We also have a number of alpacas for sale from pet to show quality. Please phone/email for details. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 7
NEWS
VAL TAKES THEM FOR A SPIN
Royal Bath & West Show
THIS YEAR THE FIRST DAY of the Royal Bath & West was Fibre Day and the British judge Val Fullerlove took over the show ring to give a series of talks about alpaca fibre to the public. Not many people can walk and talk well at the same time but Val can and she took her audience on a tour of the alpaca marquee where breeders laid on demonstrations of felting and spinning. The judge for the huacaya section was Mary Jo Smith with Barbara Hetherington as apprentice. Supreme Champion Huacaya was Houghton Majestic and Best of British Classical MileEnd Andante. The suris were judged on the Saturday by Jay Holland and West Dorset Hernando was Supreme Champion Suri and Best of British.
PEACE OF DEVON
Devon County Show
IT WAS A VERY WEIRD LAST DAY at the Devon County Show when the organisers decided, after torrential rain, acres of mud and an accident, to close the show to the
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public on the Saturday. The livestock stayed on the showground on Saturday morning as the judged classes had not concluded for many of the animals including the alpacas. Instead of the music coming from a huge fairground nearby, it was silent with absolutely no public to watch the judge Liz Barlow making her final selections. The Show Champion suri was West Dorset Hernando and the reserve Moonsbrook Galloway and the Show Champion huacaya was Silverstream Forerunner of Anzac with the reserve Popham Dancha.
SUN SHINES ON SOMERSET
North Somerset Show
THE NORTH SOMERSET SHOW, sometimes muddy, but this year there was ideal weather for an outdoor show. The judge was Mrs Shirley Bettinson who put Valley Alpacas The General, an
intermediate white male, up as Supreme Champion Huacaya and Pinkney Drago took Supreme Suri. Alpaca breeder Roger Mount of Snowshill Alpacas judged the junior handlers.
It’s only natural to want the best....
BAS National Show 2014 awarded Bozedown Alpacas 3 Suri Champions + Reserve Champion 5 Huacaya Champions + Reserve Champion + Best British bred Huacaya
1989
2014
25 years Breeding Champions www.bozedown-alpacas.co.uk
Congratulations to Velvet Hall Alpacas for winning Champion Grey Female at the BAS National with Bozedown Nunavut
please contact MaryJo for sales and stud services 0771 875 0303 0118 984 3827
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 9
NEWS
THREE COUNTIES 'THE BEST YET'
The Royal Three Counties Show OUR THREE DAY SHOW WAS BLESSED this year with fabulous weather including a sufficient breeze to keep everyone cool in the marquee. Knowing how exhibitors enjoy one day shows, particularly at this time of year, we run different things over the three days and this year was not an exception. On the Friday, we held an alpaca, to fleece, to fibre, to product day with spinners, knitters and felters all showing off their various skills to show the public, and the hordes of school trips, the various processes and uses for alpaca fibre. Bags of fleece were placed around the marquee and people were encouraged to really get in amongst it to feel the softness with more than a few surprises.
a fleece from overseas! Even better, the fleece was awarded Supreme Huacaya fleece and our congratulations go to David and Diana Worthy in Spain with the fleece from Torcal Paku. Supreme Suri fleece was awarded to Pure Ruby owned by Jay and Hilary Holland. The halter show was extremely well supported with over 100 entries and included many new owners. The West Shires Alpaca group show committee are grateful to all of you who delay shearing your alpacas to enter our show, it is appreciated. The day culminated, as usual in the awarding of the Supreme Champions and, this year, silver salvers were awarded to the winners, kindly sponsored by and donated to the group by Roger and Mary Mount of Snowshill Alpacas. The winning Huacaya was Valley Alpacas The General who faced very stiff competition and our
congratulations go to Mr Phil Lane and Miss Diane House of Lane House Alpacas. With some superb examples of suri shown throughout the day, the Supreme Suri was awarded to Houghton Royal Duchess and, again, our congratulations go to her owners Mick and Liz George of Houghton Hall Alpacas. The show was the best yet, compliments were abounding and we can only hope we can top it next year!.
On Saturday, we were joined by Tim Hey, to cast his expert eye over the fleece entries with an added bonus of apprentice judge Barbara Hetherington. We are constantly amazed at the number of entries we receive each year given the timing of the show and, this year, received
EURO WELCOME!
The Heart of England Autumn Fleece Show moves home and welcomes European Entries DUE TO THE CONTINUED SUCCESS of the show the Heart of England Autumn Fleece Show has outgrown the picturesque cricket club and for 2014 will be hosted by C-S Alpacas in Buckinghamshire, thanks to the generosity of Julia Corrigan Stuart. The date stays the same – October 5th. We are also pleased to announce that from this year we are taking entries from European breeders. Entries must be from BAS
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People were encouraged to really get in amongst the fleece to feel the softness with more than a few surprises
members and the fleece must come from an alpaca registered with a breed society. This is an exciting development in integrating alpaca breeding in Europe. Details will be on the Heart of England website www. heartofenglandalpacagroup.co.uk The Spring Alpaca Fiesta is also moving location for 2015, details to be announced.
NEWS
LIGHTNING STRIKE A THREE HOUR THUNDERSTORM at Bozedown Alpacas last month resulted in the death of a female alpaca from a lightning strike. It was such a violent storm that the beds in the house rocked and the drive was washed away. Although the female died, her female cria at foot was unhurt and has been named Lightning Strike.
Subscribe to To be certain of obtaining future copies of Alpaca World Magazine fill in the subscription form below and return it to the address on the form. The only way to be sure of receiving every issue of Alpaca World magazine is by subscribing. The annual rates are: UK £28, Europe £38 (approx. €45) and the rest of the world £48 (approx. $72). Subscribe now by doing one of the following: 1 Using your credit card at our website: www.alpacaworldmagazine.com 2 Fill out the form below and post to us complete with your cheque or credit card details 3 Complete the form below and fax back to us with your credit card details I would like to subscribe to Alpaca World Magazine for the next 4 issues at an inclusive rate of UK £28, Europe £38 (approx. €45) and the rest of the world £48 (approx. $72).
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www.alpacaworldmagazine.com ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 11
MURRAY FOWLER
MURRAY FOWLER 1928 - 2014
Murray Fowler, Claire Whitehead and La Rue Johnson
M
any people recognise Murray Fowler as one of the two grandfathers of Camelid Veterinary Medicine. The other of course is LaRue Johnson and his obituary for Murray appears below. Few people working with camelids, either as owners or vets, do not possess a copy of his book “Medicine & Surgery of South American Camelids”, of which there have been three editions including the most recent in only 2010 which was updated to include camels as well so became “Medicine & Surgery of Camelids”. I first met Murray in the mid-90s when I attended my first British Veterinary Camelid Society annual conference at the Rowatt Institute while a student at Edinburgh. In my mind he was a legend, but to my surprise he was more than happy to chat to myself and fellow students and he had a gentle way of making you feel completely 12 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
at ease despite his stature. I later met him at many other camelid and zoo vet meetings over subsequent years – there were very few that he
He was more than happy to chat to myself and fellow students and he had a gentle way of making you feel completely at ease despite his stature
missed! In fact, I had the honour of introducing him at the 2006 International Camelid Health Conference in Ohio. I will conclude my words with a short anecdote from my father who first came across Murray at an alpaca conference in Canada: Murray was chairing a Q&A panel for owners along with other camelid vets. A lady in the audience asked what it meant for a female of hers to have a progesterone concentration of “21” [this was when testing progesterone concentration was a fairly new method of pregnancy testing and pregnancy would be likely if concentrations were greater than 3]. Murray conferred with the others in the panel, and then announced most seriously that this meant that the female was “very pregnant”!! Claire E Whitehead BVM&S MS DACVIM FHEA MRCVS
MURRAY FOWLER
MY PERSONAL OBITUARY FOR MURRAY FOWLER LaRue W. Johnson
O
n May 18th, 2014, the veterinary profession lost an icon colleague that I had the pleasure to call my special friend for over 30 years. He was always there to provide professional as well as personal input for situations that we all tend to encounter. From my perspective, there was never a medical or surgical situation that he was not inclined to attempt to resolve and in most instances resolved favourably. Murray was my sponsor for a sabbatical leave at the University of California at Davis in 1990. Oddly enough, he was also taking an at home sabbatical during this time to "wrap up" before retirement from UCD. During that time I had a chance to observe the depth of his talents while not only dealing with camelid issues but also the zoological medicine teaching and service he provided. Whenever there was a camelid conference that we both attended, Murray always went out of his way to visit any local zoo to renew acquaintances with in many cases former UCD students that were now on the professional staff of the zoo. Murray was born on July 17th, 1928 in Glendale Washington but the family moved to Utah in 1930. His upbringing in a hard working Mormon family provided a work ethic that no doubt influenced his entire life. He graduated from Jordan High School of Sandy Utah in 1946 and promptly enlisted for a 2 year tour in the US Navy to become a Hospital Corpsman 2nd class. Upon discharge, he enrolled at Utah State Agriculture College. Murray married Audrey Cooley on June 5th, 1950 in Logan, Utah, being his bride and self acknowledged proof reader for essentially 64 years. An interest to become a veterinarian was stimulated by the veterinary science department at USAC. Applications were sent to several colleges and Iowa State University emerged to begin his professional training starting in 1951. After graduation with a DVM degree in 1955, Murray began practice in Southern California as an associate in a two man equine practice specializing in brood mares. The practice proximity to the movie industry managed to get Murray to reluctantly see some odd critters and as usual his ability to adapt prevailed such that he became in regular demand over and above his equine responsibilities. In 1958, he received an offer to be an instructor of large animal surgery at The University of California at Davis with initially a primary assignment of livestock. It didn't take long before he pursued knowledge and expertise in plant poisoning and venomous bites or stings. He also began accumulating the nearly 60,000 Kodachrome slides he masterfully numbered and indexed for future lectures. This was to become another benefit of my sabbatical time with Murray in 1990.
There was never a medical or surgical situation that he was not inclined to attempt to resolve and in most instances resolved favourably Being a UCD faculty member provided the deserved sabbatical leaves every seven years. So the Fowler family of Murray, Audrey and their five kids (Alan, Gene, Janet, Linda and Patricia) headed to England for a year, as Murray wanted to extensively study Fiddle neck toxicity. Most of us would not be aware of Murray's very accomplished horsemanship as well as trick roping abilities. Both made for ease of conversation with equine clients as well his involvement with endurance trail riding and horse show venues all over California. Murray did not pursue an advanced graduate degree after a DVM, but not surprisingly made an effort to continue his education by auditing one course at UCD every quarter. These educational experiences along with his open mind to deal with any critter presented for attention allowed him to gradually drift deeper into a zoological medicine program that Davis became famous for under his leadership. Eventually the teaching and service program included regular visits to the Sacramento Zoo but referrals to Davis were also common. Among the referrals were llamas that were becoming popular in the area. Since many veterinarians had no desire to become involved with this species especially if anesthesia and surgery were involved, they referred them to Davis. Somehow, in 1973, Murray was able to get away from Davis responsibilities to further develop and demonstrate his talents by taking a one-year sabbatical at the San Diego Zoo. When he took me to the Zoo and Wild Animal Park in 1990, be assured that we received "red carpet" treatment as he obviously had left with a very favourable reputation. He also had a sabbatical year in 1980 visiting zoos in Europe, collecting reference material for a bibliography on zoological medicine. Administrative duties were also thrust upon him that by his own admission were not where he wanted his career to follow but he was deemed by his peers as dedicated to the job while continuing clinical responsibilities. Along the way, because of his prominence, he was involved with establishing
national professional organizations associated with zoo as well as wildlife animals and that reputation also went international prompting lecture invitations for similar organizations as well as universities. He preceded me in being invited to speak at llama venues and by the time our paths crossed it was 1983 in Boulder, Colorado, and we were both speaking at the International Llama Association. It was there that we agreed to put together an annual camelid veterinary conference that has subsequently met for the past thirty one years initially at Davis alternately at Fort Collins, Colorado. It is currently referred to as The International Camelid Conference for Veterinarians still meeting annually but alternately at The Ohio State University and Oregon State University. Involvement other than as a practicing veterinarian includes a long period of being a Boy Scout leader and of course dedicated involvement with his Mormon Church. The awards and recognitions he has received are numerous both professional as well as for his public service. As you read this, I can assure you that further pursuit and appreciation of the accomplishments of this special human being are best covered by acquiring a copy of his autobiography: MURRAY: Hummingbirds to Elephants and other Tales, ISBN0-9-646618-8-8 In closing, I can assure you that during my now nearly 79 years on this earth, 54 as a veterinarian that there are few individuals that I have been associated with that have left a greater impression on me. I am confident that Murray was totally prepared for this last adventure in that his modus was to always be prepared for what's coming up next.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 13
Friday 27 + Saturday 28 March
Hall 3A, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham B40 1NT
Designer/makers, hand-dyers, people working in the world of fibre, textile artists and companies selling exquisite hand-made objects and designs will be exhibiting at p-LUSH; applauding the British making and designing industry. We have been invited to add a luxury fibre experiential consumer show of excellence to run as part of the British Alpaca Futurity. Hosted by Belinda Harris-Reid and Rachel Vowles.
The largest alpaca show in Europe, a celebration of all things alpaca and a showcase for British breeding. Halter classes judged by Peter Kennedy (Australia) and Wade Gease (USA) and an international fleece show. Join us in March 2015.
Sponsorship opportunities, trade stand applications and booking forms will be on the websites in August. Go to
www.britishalpacafuturity.com or www.p-lush.co.uk 14 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
20 1 5
The NEC is ideally situated as it is close to the motorways, adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and the British Rail station.
www.homesteadfarmsupplies.co.uk
www.homesteadfarmsupplies.co.uk or 01295 713188
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 15
FIBRE GROWTH PROFILES
While many alpaca breeders have incorporated objective fibre measurement into their herd management strategies, ‘Fibre Growth Profiles’ are becoming popular for monitoring pre- and post-natal nutrition, particularly during the critical period of secondary follicle development in unborn crias.
KEEPING A HIGH PROFILE Using ‘Fibre Growth Profiles’ to monitor fibre follicle development in alpacas. By Paul Vallely, Australian Alpaca Fibre Testing, Australia and UK.
‘Fibre Growth Profiles’ are linear graphs depicting variation in diameter along the fibres. This allows alpaca breeders to track nutritional intake on both the pregnant female and the cria in order to monitor and manage the development of secondary follicles to maximise potential for fibre density, fleece weight and fibre diameter.
FOLLICLE DEVELOPMENT IN ALPACAS As many alpaca breeders would be aware, it is the primary follicles that produce fibres that tend to be the broadest and most problematic fibres found within fleeces. It would come as no surprise that we refer to these as primary fibres. Conversely, the secondary follicles produce the finer and more luxurious secondary fibres within fleeces. While much of the research into skin follicle development revolves around the merino industry, some recent work has been completed that specifically relates to follicle development in alpacas. In the research paper titled ‘Relationships between skin follicle characteristics and fibre properties of Suri and Huacaya alpacas and Peppin Merino Sheep (Ferguson et al, 2012), it was shown that skin follicle characteristics in alpacas are similar to that of merino sheep. One noted difference, however, was that while follicle groups in merino contained around 3 primary follicles surrounded by a cluster of secondary follicles, follicle groups in alpacas contained only one primary follicle, surrounded by (around 3 to 10) secondary follicles. More importantly, the Ferguson et al study revealed a significant negative correlation between secondary follicle density and mean fibre diameter. In other words, the greater the number of secondary follicles, the lesser the mean fibre diameter. Presumably, this correlation is the result of the increase in the ratio of finer secondary fibres against the broader primary fibres. It is also reasonable to suggest that the greater number of secondary follicles, the higher the fleece weight. To many breeders, this is the Holy Grail – more fleece of lower
16 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
diameter. The question then becomes, how to increase the number of secondary follicles. Interestingly, the research found suri’s had a significantly higher follicle density than huacaya’s. It is clear through previous research as revealed in Dr Julio Sumar’s paper ‘What makes a champion’ (Alpaca Western Extravaganza, 2004), increase in available nutrition to the unborn cria foetus maximises the chances of the foetus to achieve its genetic potential with regard to the number of follicles developed. Secondary follicles develop predominately from day 187 to day 217 during pregnancy, although further development and maintenance of secondary follicles can be an issue through to birth and up to 6 months after birth, although once a cria reaches about 70 days of age, secondary development has largely ceased, and will remain for the balance of its life. I should stress at this stage that research concerning the timetable for follicle development in alpacas is lacking at the moment, however, Dr Sumar’s comments on this point are worth taking on board. From the Ferguson research and above comments of Dr Sumar, it can be taken that an increase in nutrition to the pregnant female during the latter half of pregnancy followed through to at least the second month after birth, will lead to an increase in the number of secondary follicles in the cria. Consequently, this should result in an increase in the overall fibre density or fleece weight, increase in secondary/primary fibre ratio and decrease in average fibre diameter for the lifetime of the cria. To validate this finding, I refer to the ‘Lifetime Ewe’ project in the Australian merino industry whereby an identical feeding regime, albeit synchronised to merino skin follicle development, has recorded significant increase in fleece weights combined with decrease in average fibre diameter as well as increase in body weight for the life of the sheep (relative to similar sheep that had not been subject to the feeding regime). The one thing I should stress at this stage is that this improvement in
FIBRE GROWTH PROFILES
FEMALE A
FEMALE B
Figure 1: Examples of Fibre Growth Profiles for two females bearing offspring
fleece traits is confined to ‘environmentally’ influenced improvements rather than improving genetic potential. It will, however, enable the alpaca to maximise its genetic potential with regard to fleece traits.
TRACKING NUTRITION USING ‘FIBRE GROWTH PROFILES’. When using OFDA2000 fibre measurement technology, a linear graph is provided that reveals the variation in fibre diameter along the fibre sample. The horizontal axis of the graph depicts length along the sample in millimetres, while the vertical axis depicts fibre diameter. As the left side of the graph indicates the commencement of the growth period while the right side is the point where the fibre was cut from the alpaca, we read the graph from left to right. By using the fibre growth profile, we are able to observe the variation in the amount of available nutrition reaching the fibre follicles. If we observe the profile dropping, then this reflects a drop in nutrition such as experienced from internal parasite burden within the alpaca, disease and inferior feed conditions. If the profile is rising, then this reflects a rise in nutrition such as effective drenching or improvement in quantity and/or quality of feed. To illustrate the effect of using Fibre Growth Profiles for monitoring the availability of nutrition during the period of secondary follicle development, two sets of profiles are shown above.
By using the fibre growth profile, we are able to observe the variation in the amount of available nutrition reaching the fibre follicles
The first set (figure 1) were derived from samples tested of two suri females, with samples taken approximately three months after their respective crias were born. The second set (figure 2) are profiles derived from testing samples from two suri crias, taken approximately 3 months of age. In both cases, the date of testing could not be verified, and was based on information from the breeder. Cria A is the progeny of female A, while cria B is the progeny of female B. In the case of female A, the Fibre Growth Profile shows a slight increase in nutrition at the commencement of the growing season (after shearing), then a significant decrease in nutrition which was a result of a deterioration in paddock feed quality. Insufficient supplementary feed was provided to offset the increased demands on the mother’s nutritional requirements arising from the developing foetus. The decrease in nutrition occurred at the crucial period of half way through pregnancy and continued after birth up until the time of sampling. From this, it can be assumed, the development of secondary fibres in the unborn foetus would have been significantly affected, resulting in less secondary follicles leading to lower fibre density, lower secondary to primary fibre ratio with consequent high average fibre diameter relative to genetic potential. In the case of female A, the Fibre Growth Profile shows a gradual increase occurred over the entire growing period. The female was fed a high energy/protein supplement at an increasing level to offset the increased demands from the developing foetus. As can be seen from the profile, the increased rate of supplementary feed was slightly more than what was required, however, this is desirable as too much weight gain during pregnancy may lead to birthing problems. From this, it can be assumed the development of the secondary follicles benefited from the increased nutrition, and as a consequence, allowed a higher fibre density, higher secondary to primary fibre ratio, and low average fibre diameter relative to genetic potential.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 17
FIBRE GROWTH PROFILES
CRIA A
CRIA B
Figure 2: Examples of Fibre Growth Profiles for two crias
As previously mentioned, cria A was the progeny of female A. In the case of this cria’s Fibre Growth Profiles, the left edge of the graph depicts commencement of fibre growth in the unborn foetus. In the case of cria A, there is no evidence of an increase in nutrition reaching the foetus from the female. The slight spike in the profile near the end of the season was probably due to a spring burst soon after birth, although the precise point of birth on the profile is not known. The assumptions made from observing female A’s profile, appear to be validated in cria A’s profile in that secondary follicle development is likely to have been negatively affected through poor nutrition. On the other hand, cria B’s Fibre Growth Profile shows a typical rise in nutrition as a result of enriched nourishment from a female receiving adequate nutrition. It should be noted that a rise of over 10 microns during the first year of fibre growth is not uncommon. Clearly, this cria is likely to benefit from high numbers of secondary follicles leading to high fibre density, high secondary to primary fibre ratio and low average fibre diameter relative to genetic potential. It is worth noting that some breeders who use profile tracking have observed acceptable profiles of females through the pre/post natal period, yet the profile of the cria during this period has not shown the typical increase in nutrition. In this case, it appears the female has difficulties with passing nutrition to the cria, which is obviously an issue worth addressing.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? It needs to be remembered that tracking Fibre Growth Profiles provides an historical account. If a problem is identified such as a sharp drop in nutrition, then largely, the damage is done. The benefit of monitoring profiles, particularly concerning evidence of nutrition that might affect follicle development is that it allows critical issues to be resolved for future impact. In the examples above, the owner of female/cria A had been made aware that pre- and post-natal nutrition was significantly lacking, and that their alpacas were being denied the
18 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
ability to achieve anywhere near their genetic potential for fleece traits over their lifetime. A further benefit of tracking profile with crias is that it places the micron and SD into a perspective. A cria might have a higher than expected micron due to the influence of very high nutrition from the female, or conversely, be low due to lack of nutrition. Also, the SD might be unexpectedly high due to the ‘environmental’ influence from significant variation along the fibre due to dramatic increases in the profile. All these issues are observable from the Fibre Growth Profile. REFERENCES Antonini M, Gonzales M, Valbonesi A (2004) Relationship between age and postnatal skin follicular development in three types of South American domestic camelids. Livestock Production Science. Ferguson M, McGregor BA, Behrendt R (2012) Relationship between skin follicle characteristics and fibre properties of Suri and Huacaya alpacas and Peppin sheep. Animal Production Science, CSIRO. 52, 442-447 Hill JA, Hynd PI, Ponzoni RW, Grimson RJ, Jaensch KS, Kenyon RV, Penno NM (1997) Skin and follicle characters II. Correlations with objectively measured and subjectively assessed wool characters. Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics. Hynd PI, Ponzoni RW, Grimson R, Jaensch KS, Smith D, Kenyon R (1996) Wool follicle and skin characters – their potential to improve wool production and quality in Merino sheep. Wool Technology and Sheep Breeding. Sumar, J (2004) What makes a Champion. Proceedings of the Alpaca Western Extravaganza, Oregon. Thompson A N, Ferguson M. Gordon DJ, Kearney GA, Oldham CM, Paganoni BL, (2011) Improving the nutrition of Merino ewes during pregnancy increases the fleece weight and reduces the fibre diameter of their progeny’s wool during their lifetime and these effects can be predicted from the ewe’s liveweight profile. Animal Production Science, 2011, 51, 794–804
YEARS OF CHAMPIONS Be part of the Australian National Show and Sale Cambridge Streetwise – 2013 Supreme Champion Huacaya, sold at the 2013 National Classic Auction.
2014 National Show & Sale 18-21 September 2014 Don’t miss your chance to bid and own an Australian champion Telephone bidding via Wilson Beer at Landmark +61 (0)428 505 520 email wilsonbeer@bigpond.com by 17th September 2014
Prince of Wales Showgrounds Holmes Road BENDIGO VIC
Australian Alpaca For More Information A S S O C I A T I O N Go to www.nationalshow.com.au
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 19
WHERE IN THE WORLD
WHERE IN THE WORLD Jay Holland, British judge and owner of Pure Alpacas, has been on the road this spring...
20 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
WHERE IN THE WORLD
I had to make my entrance in the alpaca drawn cart feeling very embarrassed and a lot like an out of season Santa Claus
T
he beginning of this year has been an exceptional one for my international exploits with trips around Europe. Although, little of it was actually judging, it has been more a case of being a 'jack of all trades' where those skills have been required by others. I am not complaining, it has been fantastic fun, meeting old and making new friends and gaining even more experience of alpacas from all over Europe. It has been that, at points, it was a case of if its Tuesday I must be in, well, wherever. So, take a journey with me and see if you can guess. My first jaunt was a judging assignment, my first of the year, so nervously I set off looking forward to it but hoping that I could 'perform' to my best following the winter break.
STEP BACK IN TIME Arriving late the day before the show, I discovered that I would not be required until the afternoon of the following day and so had time on my hands to wander around. Never sleeping well on the first night away from home, I arose early the next day and set off into town but, somewhere along the way, I must have walked through some kind of time portal because there, in a modern shopping complex, was C&A! I rushed in to find my nylon non-iron shirts and shiny suit but, unfortunately, the stock, at least, had moved on; I was quite disappointed. So, despondently walking down the road, I turned a corner and there, in front of me, was a fully-fledged Woolworths. This added to my
belief that I had inadvertently travelled in time but I still had to pop in and buy a bag of pick n mix. Feeling more buoyant from my good fortune I was able to appreciate the modern architecture of the town and, full of sugar, made my way to the alpaca show and 2014. Now, just take a look at the top right photograph. That, my friends is an alpaca ring - a full four sided auditorium with a tunnel entrance to the alpaca pens and, bottom middle, a good number of very useful trade stands. The bad news? I had to make my entrance in the alpaca drawn cart feeling very embarrassed and a lot like an out of season Santa Claus in front of what was, in my opinion, a fair sized audience. The show was professional, well organised and included seminars on fibre, a fashion parade and an auction of stud services all of which were very well attended and so my thanks and congratulations go out to the organisers whose hard work clearly paid off. And so, on to my next destination! Despite being a BAS judge, I still love to ring steward but, unfortunately, it is against our rules here and so I jump at the chance of being able to do it elsewhere. Working with very experienced overseas judges, under different rules, really helps evolve my role and enables me to learn, on the job.
FOUR MINUTE WARNING I agreed to meet Jude Anderson, a senior AOBA judge, at the airport so that we could then catch our train, first class with evening meal and drinks, ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 21
WHERE IN THE WORLD
to our final destination. We were just catching up over a drink, talking shop of course, when I wondered why we seemed to have so much time; a quick look at my phone confirmed that it had not automatically changed the time zone and now we had just four minutes to catch our train! It was a mad dash but, luckily, the train station is just under the airport and so we made it as the doors shut - it was a bit close and there was not an alternative so it could have been disastrous. I have now learned to check the time. The show was held in a large and airy equine centre with a beautiful soft, forgiving floor, the pens all laid out in front of the ring with a few trade stands selling equipment and alpaca products. A surprising international audience attended, containing some well known personalities such as our own Nick HarringtonSmith and Chris Williams. It says a lot about the standard of the alpacas and the strength of the market when people attend from the UK and Australia! Overall, the show was a lot of fun and it was good to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. Jude Anderson was a marvel and the whole atmosphere was relaxed and very enjoyable. I can only hope that I am invited again. And, on again or rather back again! My next foray abroad took me back, back to the first place in my spring itinerary, but this time not alone. Mary-Jo Smith and I had been engaged to carry out some herd evaluations based on criteria supplied by the organiser of the event. It was very much an evolving situation and one, in fact, that we are still developing with them based on our 22 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
experience to make the process more meaningful to the participants.
ROOM AT THE INN Again, I met Mary-Jo at our destination airport, I don't know why I keep meeting judges in airports, but for whatever reasons our timings meant that we were unable to catch the same flight from the UK. We were met and driven to our central base, a beautiful coaching inn owned by the same family since the 16th Century, by taxi with a driver who spoke no English - but we managed to get by as one does. From there we toured around three different farms, with the organiser and a local vet, looking at sixty to seventy alpacas, evaluating as we went. Clearly, I will not go into the technicalities of the evaluation as it will only become boring but it was fairly vigorous, with the vet, us and the organiser who was taking fibre samples. Long warm days dressed in white bio-security suits looking like Michelin men - I cannot imagine why we had no photographs to show you! Then, on to sunnier climes. This was an occasion for a different skill set, and not. I had been asked to hold a course to teach shearing, followed by a half-day seminar on fibre.
PARK LIFE It was different in that I had not taught so many people shearing at the same time, in a different language, with a translated power point presentation and could only guess at my timings. The organisers had arranged a really good training room right next to the area where we would be
It says a lot about the standard of the alpacas and the strength of the market when people attend from the UK and Australia!
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 23
WHERE IN THE WORLD
shearing; if it were not for the roller skating below and the fact that we would be shearing in a public park it was almost perfect. I joke, the roller skating was in the afternoon when we were shearing outside in front of all those arriving. But, the park was quiet, and the area reserved for us was shaded from the sun, with a breeze, power and the participants had supplied the unwilling volunteers. With the help of the indomitable Garry Naish, we were able to teach twelve people how to shear ably if not always neatly and they were, at the end of the day, at least confident enough to say that they felt able to go away and do their own. Considering where we were this is an important factor as they have very few shearers to do alpacas and the climate can vary so much across the country. Then out to dinner, late, but that is their way and we had a wonderful tapas style meal while watching the Eurovision song contest and enjoying good company with good food if not, exactly, good entertainment. The following day we were transported to a different village where they had facilities to hold the fibre seminar and which, I must admit, was
Long warm days dressed in white biosecurity suits looking like Michelin men – I cannot imagine why we had no photographs to show you! 24 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
exceptional. It was large, with plenty of natural light and my favourite, a foreign language power point. The seminar attracted different breeders, some travelling large distances, and we discussed the technicalities of the fibre and finished by looking at, discussing and skirting several fleeces, shorn the day before, ready for their autumn fleece show.
EURO VISIONS It has been a great experience and despite my sour demeanour, I did have a good time. People ask what the place is like and I have to say that working, we rarely get a chance to find out – usually we are in hotels, cars and arenas. But, some spare time on these trips has allowed me to meet some very warm and welcoming people from all over Europe who have a real passion for these magical animals who all hold on to the fact that alpacas do have a great future. So, where have I been? Specifically, the AlpakaShow Nordwest in Hamm, Germany, the Swedish Alpaca Expo in Mjoelby, Sweden, various alpaca farms around northern Germany, the Hannover area, and Santander, Spain.
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ALPACA GUARD TRIAL
WHERE EAGLES
(and alpacas)
DARE
Behind the scenes of an Alpaca Guard Trial 26 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
Enoch ushering me away from the flock during lambing, some of the flock  visible in the background
ALPACA GUARD TRIAL
Andrew Milne, who studied Animal Science at SRUC Edinburgh, wrote his fourth year dissertation on the potential market for alpaca guards with sheep farmers. He spent last summer in North West Scotland conducting a project that involved integrating two alpacas with a hill sheep flock that had suffered much predation by sea eagles.
F
ollowing a series of reintroductions that began in 1975 the sea eagle, or white tailed eagle, has seen its population grow and spread across the west coast of Scotland. Those lucky enough to have seen a sea eagle in the wild rarely forget the occasion, they are almost instantly recognisable from their large yellow beak or wedged shaped white tail but it is their size that never fails to amaze and with a wingspan that can reach up to 8 feet - they are the UK’s largest bird of prey. This size and associated power gives the sea eagle control of the skies in resident territory and ensures the unrivalled crown of apex predator in the western wilds of Scotland. However, resident farmers and crofters claim sea eagles are feeding on lambs, which is not only negatively impacting on productivity but affecting efforts of flock improvement. There are also suggestions that there are not enough prey species to maintain a viable sea eagle population, in addition to questions being raised about the methods implemented during the reintroductions, the lack of continual monitoring and refinement, and even the legality of the reintroductions in relation to EU law. In contrast the organisations associated with the reintroduction claim the sea eagles to be a success; a species that has suffered previous persecution to the extreme of localised extinction now reclaiming areas once occupied, a program that ticks the biodiversity box, and a species that commands public attention to a level of financial gain through wildlife tourism in areas inhabited by sea eagles. These are benefits thought to outweigh “insignificant” lamb losses by conservationists
who maintain that sea eagles by nature are “inherently lazy” and prefer to scavenge a meal. This is a theory supplemented by a persistent opinion that if sea eagles were to engage in the opportunistic predation of lambs then it would almost certainly be weak lambs in the process of succumbing to disease – an opinion regarded with distaste from diligent sheep farmers and crofters. From liaising with both conservationists and sheep farmers it is quickly apparent that both sides believe themselves to be correct and it is uncomfortably obvious that one is wrong. Neither side is willing to comprehend the opinion of the other and the only hard facts from an uncomfortable seat on the fence are that sea eagles are resident in the west of Scotland, they are a Scottish Biodiversity List species, and they are highly protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the EC Birds Directive. There are also large numbers of sheep unaccounted for each year in areas where sheep and sea eagles share terrain.
From liaising with both conservationists and sheep farmers it is quickly apparent that both sides believe themselves to be correct and it is uncomfortably obvious that one is wrong
SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ALPACAS? Admittedly it may seem odd for alpacas to be associated with sea eagles on the west coast of Scotland, or sea eagles at all, but acknowledging the protection status of this iconic raptor there is a requirement for progressive farmers and crofters affected by lamb losses to investigate the cause and trial non-lethal methods of control. In this particular instance a pilot study was designed to explore predator deterrents in conjunction with a monitoring schedule aimed at increasing knowledge relating to ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 27
ALPACA GUARD TRIAL
Young sea eagles training has welfare consequences, the lamb in this picture has wool darkened by blood as a consequence of non-fatal talon wounds in the back of the neck. The wound visible is a third puncture in the throat. This undoubtedly caused suffering for the lamb due to breathing restrictions and the lamb was humanely destroyed. It may be noted that as a result of the talon punctures the lamb would have died within a week due to septicaemia.
Remains of a live lamb kill from a sea eagle. Witnessed in person and confirmed by SAC Vet Lab post-mortem. These remains were pictured around 45 minutes after the kill and special notes were directed at the neck trauma (cause of death), the force required to crack the ribs for entry, and the lack of internal organs for postmortem analysis. Had the attack not been witnessed it is doubtful that any remains would have been found in the vegetation, particularly given other scavengers in the area. The attack also provided some insight into sea eagle predation methods. Scattered wool, often the only remains after a suspected sea eagle attack. On this occasion part of the spine was still present.
A happier picture, Archie on duty this year at Mossend Zwartbles ...not a single lamb loss recorded
sea eagle behaviour in the presence of a sheep flock. For the purpose of the trial two alpacas were introduced to a flock as sheep guards and interactions routinely observed between the species of interest that included alpacas, buzzards, crows, foxes, ravens, sea eagles and sheep. The theory of introducing alpacas was not to directly combat sea eagle attacks but with the aim of generating a bond between sheep and alpacas that would initiate a behavioural change amongst the sheep on the hill. It was plausible that the presence of alpacas could encourage the flock to graze as a unit rather than scatter on the hillside and therefore reduce the number of isolated lambs that could be considered vulnerable to predation. The trial was planned for a duration of 3 years with the purpose of allowing the alpacas time for environmental adaptation and to strengthen bonds with the flock while, considering flock replacement strategy, the time span would ensure the sheep to be familiar with the alpacas as guardians. Following the planning process it was then necessary to source some alpacas and this brought us to Moray’s best kept secret. In area famed for its whisky production and dolphin spotting hides Auld Mill Alpacas where Carole Christian and John Smith run a fantastic enterprise which also includes Mossend Zwarbles and Cluck! Eggs. Admittedly I had worked with Carole and John before and have always been impressed by their passion for animal welfare and contagious enthusiasm to develop and share their fantastic array of knowledge. This is not uncommon within the alpaca community as a previous survey conducted during honours project research highlighted that 32 of 35 breeders valued ethics such as welfare and education to a level that ranged from pre-purchase husbandry training days to lifetime telephone support, and Auld Mill Alpacas are an excellent example of preparing those new to alpacas.
POSITIVE VETTING Operating as a closed herd with all external boundaries forested, Carole and John work closely with Moray Coast Vet Group to promote 28 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
animal health. The herd is BVD screened, there is routine spring and autumn clostridial protection with Bravoxin 10, during spring and autumn of 2012/13 there was a fluke treatment with Trodax, in addition to a monthly vitamin paste and daily diet supplement of Camelibra to maximise herd health. Acknowledging these efforts there were understandably some concerns identified by Carole and John following a briefing on the project but solutions were found and, despite their busy schedule, Auld Mill Alpacas handpicked two alpacas considered suitable for the trial. These were Cairndinnis Archie, a white and dark fawn appaloosa born on 19 July 2005 from dam Livanti Bethany and sire Livanti Brooklyn. Archie is a non-breeding male who was castrated during June of 2012 due to temperament issues when not being used at mating time. Archie was joined by halfsibling Cairndinnis Enoch, a solid mid fawn, born 25 May 2009 to dam Livanti Bethany and sire Purston Pride of Place. Enoch was an intact male at the time of the trial but was castrated on 19 May 2014 due to forestall behaviour problems when not being used at mating time. Both were selected for reasons that included awareness, temperament, physical condition, and economic value.
I had worked with Carole and John before and have always been impressed by their passion for animal welfare and contagious enthusiasm to develop and share their fantastic array of knowledge
ALPACA GUARD TRIAL
A portion of the hill range the boys were up against
Working through the concerns identified by Carole and John it was agreed to lease Archie and Enoch for the 3 year duration of the project, meaning that in the event of the trial being cancelled or on completion of the study then Archie and Enoch would still have a home and not be condemned to purposelessly roaming the hills of Wester Ross. Carole and John further assisted the project by providing a comprehensive handling and husbandry training day before Archie and Enoch departed Auld Mill Alpacas, and on arrival in Wester Ross the boys came with a detailed health plan, dietary supplement schedule, and an emphasis on the importance of shearing the animals that highlighted the consequences of overheating – even in the unpredictable Scottish climate! From the transportation trailer both Archie and Enoch stepped into a brief quarantine to minimise the risk of disease transmission, after which the process of integration began with the alpacas located in an adjoining field to the sheep flock so that curious familiarisation could begin through the safety of a fence.
away. This did not cause any problems during the study but could have potentially deterred a gimmer unsure of her mothering duties. When on the hill, interactions around the alpacas were recorded every 10 minutes for the duration of three hours at four different time allocations over the course of a week. Each weekly schedule was generated at random with any actions considered ‘out of the ordinary’ recorded as they occurred, instances such as attempted predation. Throughout the study the number of sheep grazing with the alpacas regularly varied from zero to the entire flock and this lack of pattern suggested that Archie and Enoch were accepted as flock members. However, at times of flock movement for shearing, weighing, and routine vaccinations the alpacas were identified as leaders by dictating the movement of the flock at gatherings and initiating stand-offs with sheepdog Glen, much to the confusion of Glen who simply viewed the alpacas as two more flock members to round up. This did cause difficulty when gathering the flock and on evaluation could
PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS Once fully integrated with the flock the alpacas showed much interest towards lambs and at times of human involvement such as lamb tagging there was often an intruding alpaca head on duty to ensure a watchful eye. For the most part this was exactly the response wanted but on occasion led to instances of the alpacas being over protective of the lambs so that even the mother ewe was ushered
Glen simply viewed the alpacas as two more flock members to round up
have been avoided with temporary removal of the alpacas before introducing the dog. Once gathered and moved, another noticeable interaction was that both alpacas would patrol amongst the flock and smell both lambs and ewes, as if to check who was present after the move. Throughout the study Archie and Enoch were observed on 897 occasions and in relation to predatory defence were noted as alert to a potential threat 31 times and acted aggressively on 3. Alert behaviour was mostly directed towards humans and domestic dogs, with aggression twice noted against a fox and, surprisingly, the third was directed towards a lamb persistently following Archie. Despite aerial aggression towards the flock recorded from both ravens and sea eagles there was no evidence to suggest the alpacas, or the sheep, recognised either as a threat. However at times of suspected sea eagle attacks the alpacas were noted as being out of sight, meaning they had re-located with a small group of ewes and lambs. It is unknown if this was simply coincidence or awareness of the attacks and intentional distancing from them. Overall there were 22 lambs lost on the hill during the study period; 1 witnessed kill from a sea eagle, 1 loss to a suspected fox or dog, and the remainder forever condemned to educated speculation or never found. During the project Archie was undoubtedly recognised as the lead with Enoch happy to follow and this was suspected to be a combination of individual awareness and confidence from age. However it was felt that the boys struggled with the large area, as expected, and ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 29
ALPACA GUARD TRIAL
Archie and Enoch patrol the lambing field in Wester Ross
One of the many obstacles the boys had to adapt to on this occasion the first time they had to cross running water. Archie crossed no problem but it took Enoch around 36 hours to gain the courage to cross. During which time Archie remained at his side
30 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
never established a perimeter to defend. Further to the large area it was noted from the witnessed sea eagle attack that predation was conducted in complete silence, with no chase engaged or distress call vocalised from the targeted lamb and therefore giving no reason for the eagles to be recognised as a threat. From the sea eagle behaviour observed during the attack it is also possible that had the alpacas successfully instigated a change in flock mentality to graze as a unit, the eagles may have benefitted as a large lamb population in one area could have provided easier prey.
IN CONCLUSION Although gaining an insight into sea eagle behaviour, the trial fell short of the original aim in respect of being a deterrent to sea eagle attacks. However the study regularly suggested effectiveness to more traditional threats from the ground which can be useful when referring back to honours project research and a sheep predation survey that highlighted farm specific predation, results showed that from 63 sheep farmers only 22 suffered no predation in contrast to 41 farms that suffered flock predation to a combined total in excess of 1279 lambs and ewes. From these 41 farms, over 92% had suffered losses to a fox and over 51% suffered losses to domestic dogs, both ground species that alpacas have the potential to deter. This can be complemented with cost analysis research indicating a lowland flock could benefit from an alpaca guard system from as little as 4 lambs ‘saved’, and emphasising reasons to further explore the use of alpaca guards - particularly given that of the 41 farms suffering predation only 4 stated they would have no interested in integrating alpacas to their flock. However, this particular alpaca guard trial was assessed after year 1 and it was decided to explore other methods of predatory deterrents. Archie and Enoch were returned home to Auld Mill Alpacas, where on arrival they were placed in peer-group isolation for two months, BVD antibody tested before re-introduction to the male herd, and Archie has since further developed his guard credentials by patrolling the lambing flock at Mossend Zwarbles.
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Our ethOs is to ensure that our clients enjoy success within their venture, be that breeding or general herd management. • Pre-ownership husbandry training • Pre-purchase no-nonsense advice: Understanding the Alpaca Business; Planning; Logistics; Business Plans; Alpaca Evaluation; End Use; Long Term Objectives • Alpaca Selection: Matching to individual aspirations; Ensuring maximum value for the client financially and genetically • On-going Support: 24 Hour advice on medical problems and emergencies; Herd inspections and breeding advice; Show Team Selection and training; Advice on Gelding Decisions; Sales Advice; Herd Valuations.
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Discover for yourself how The Alpaca Stud can be of service to you. Call us for a chat on 01903 891425 or 07979 651742. Bowford Farm, Goose Green, ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 31 Thakeham, West Sussex, RH20 2LP, UK T: 01903 891425 or 07979 651742 e: nick@alpacastuduk.com www.alpacastuduk.com
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
32 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
Diane House writes: In the summer of 2007, myself Phil and Jodie visited Classical MileEnd Alpacas whilst staying with Phil's parents in Silverton, Devon. After spending several hours talking 'alpaca' we were hooked and knew that we just had to have some of our own.
W
e returned to Wiltshire with big plans in mind. During the autumn of the same year we returned to Devon and selected our herd but due to unforeseen circumstances could not take delivery until April of the following year. In November we attended our first British Alpaca Futurity at Newbury Racecourse to broaden our knowledge and get another 'fix' of alpaca whilst awaiting our own. We have since attended every year, although not with any alpacas in tow. We hope to rectify this in 2015. On 14th April 2008 with our temporary planning in place we moved into our static caravan on our 4.6 acre plot and took arrival of our first five alpacas, three pregnant females and two female cria, the journey had just begun. I had booked myself on to a course at Bozedown Alpacas in June '08 to learn more about these beautiful creatures, I was just about to leave when my daughter Jodie came running back from one of the paddocks shouting "there's something hanging out of Bella", the females were not due for another three to four weeks so this was most unexpected. As you can imagine we were panic stricken, Bella birthed normally but the cria was far too weak to stand so we decided to bottle feed with a powder based lamb colostrum. We continued to spend the rest of the day running around like headless chickens forgetting all about the other girls. At about 3pm I thought I had better check on the others and lo! and behold Sierra was in labour. We were not sure how long she had been in labour and the cria had still not presented so we decided to call the vet. He went in and scooped out a very large female cria, by this time mum had had enough and decided to leave the cria and graze at the other end of the paddock. We brought both females and cria in for the night, one still too weak to stand and the other trying to feed but mum not allowing her to. We bottle fed both cria every two to three hours and stayed with
them well into the night. In the morning we were all expecting two dead cria but thankfully not so, we bottle fed again and as soon as the vets were open took them both for a plasma transfusion. They returned home limp and lifeless, all we could do was wait for the outcome. After a few hours Bella's cria Annie was up and feeding but Sierra's cria Angel could still not get near her mum, Annie went from strength to strength and we continued to bottle feed Angel for a further 5 months until she was 40kg, our third cria, another female Amethyst arrived in September without a hitch, phew - what a start! We now needed to think about re-mating the girls as our business plan for our planning permission required us to have between 12-13 breeding females at the end of year three, without this we would not be given consent for permanent residency on our farm, we chose wisely and continued with our plan.
MAMA! MIA! In 2009 we added some more colour to our herd with a pregnant black female by Thunder of Bozedown, this brought us five more cria, the first arrived safely a light female "Mia"who weighed only 5.7kg, she was born dysmature so was aided in her feeding until strong enough to stand by herself. All was going well until mum decided to stand on her naval! If we had not have been there to clamp it she would have simply bled to death, the vet was called and it was sutured. The second cria Jacko arrived, a 7kg white male, not quite sure what time he was born as it was in between me going to work and Phil returning from work, as we both work full time. We watched and waited, then intervened but as he was not feeding by himself decided another plasma transfusion was required, better safe than sorry. Jacko returned back from the vets and within an hour was making up for lost time at the milk bar. The three remaining cria all birthed and nursed normally and were all a good weight.
My daughter Jodie came running back from one of the paddocks shouting “there’s something hanging out of Bella” ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 33
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER 2009 was also the year that we decided after two freezing winters we needed something a little warmer than a static caravan, so we upgraded to a two bed park home. It was situated in the same position in order for us to be able to see both birthing paddocks from the windows. It was delightful having central heating and a full size bath after 18 months of living in a tin can! We also made the decision to purchase our own stud male, Elite Shazzam's Boy to bring some fineness into our herd.
ANIMAL MAGNETISM Whilst breeding these beautiful animals we became rather popular with certain members of
34 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
our family, our oldest children Kelly and Perry, who had long since flown the nest, were regular visitors with their partners, as were our parents, who we see perhaps twice a year, visiting on a regular basis whether they were visiting us or the animals we never asked. Phil's parents offered to look after Jodie and the alpacas while we went to the British Alpaca Futurity 2010, we agreed and gave them all the instructions and headed off for a great weekend. When we returned everything looked ok, we asked was everything good? Phil's dad, Den said"yes, but the alpacas were not eating the hay out of the net", we thought that was strange so went to investigate. On checking the nets we found he had filled them up with straw
instead of hay, he never offered to look after them again but they still could not keep away. Sadly Den passed away suddenly in December 2010 and as a tribute to him we decided to name our next boy Bronco, which was Den's nickname. During 2010 we continued to grow our herd with nine cria due between June and September, they all arrived safely except Angel's cria Mylo, his umbilical cord was still attached and had to be cut and tied. This seemed fine but then mum did exactly the same to him as her mum did to her, another plasma transfusion was needed and he thrived for three weeks, he then became reluctant to feed from the bottle so was stomach tubed, sadly at almost four weeks old
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
we lost him. It was a sad day, we all knew the implications of farming alpacas but it never makes it any easier when it happens.
WAITING GAME 2011 arrived and we knew it was going to be a stressful year for us with the three years of our business plan coming to a head and the ultimate decision to be made whether we could stay or have to go. We had fulfilled our business plan, bred the amount of required breeding females and made a profit in our third year. Our accounts were submitted and our application for permanent residency went in, it was now just a waiting game. We also were given the chance to purchase an additional two acres from the farmer next door. We could not refuse, this was to be the boys’ paddock and ultimately space for a large barn. Whilst waiting for the council to make their decision we had another five cria born on the farm and as we had promised the first male to be born was named Bronco in memory of Phil's dad. He was a gorgeous light brown with a tight fine curly fleece. We had decided the previous year
not to breed as many this year as our numbers had increased dramatically and we really needed to sell some more before we were overstocked. All five cria were born without a hitch and the herd continued to grow. 2012 arrived and we still had no decision from North Wiltshire Council on our application so we carried on regardless. We had eight healthy cria born this year, five boys and three girls, really glad now that we purchased the additional land for the boys, We also had our first still-born on the farm, a large female cria born to Bella, a heart wrenching experience for us let alone Bella. The council had been in touch with us and were deliberating on our application. They clearly did not want us to stay even though all our neighbours were supportive of us. There were suggestions of 'not enough breeding females' when clearly we had fulfilled our business plan. Then came 'not enough value when the stock is taken out of the equation'. Why on earth would you take the value of the stock out of your business when it is purely stock that is the business!!! We cleared both these hurdles and then it came down to 'we
It was delightful having central heating and a full size bath after 18 months of living in a tin can!
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 35
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
don't like the look of your home' which was clearly a personal point of view because our home is not visible from the roadside and many people do not even know now that we are here. We battled for months asking for advice, we only wanted to know what to do to make them happy. Finally in October 2012 we were given our planning permission on the condition that we wood clad our home, at last we could relax and get on with our lives knowing that we could remain in our little piece of paradise with our animals for the rest of our lives.
THE BOY DONE GOOD In 2013 we decided for the first time to enter one of our fleeces at the British Alpaca Futurity, it was Bronco's fleece which we knew was the best fleece out of all of our 2012 cut. We arrived at the NEC 36 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
filled with excitement (and nerves). We walked over to the brown fleeces but were unable to see Bronco's, I was frantically searching when Phil called to me "it's over here with the Champions", we could not believe it, our boy Bronco named after Phil's dad had won the Champion Brown Fleece. We were absolutely gob smacked and couldn't stop smiling all week end, our stud male had clearly done his job and brought the fineness that we required into our herd. We had five healthy cria during 2013, three of which were outside matings won at the British Alpaca Futurity stud auction the previous year. They all had lovely fine fleeces and carried more density than some of those previously. We decided that this year we would only breed from three females as most of our girls were now from our own stud. We clearly had to think about
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 37
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER bringing in new blood. This year also brought the death of one of our adult females Ruby, she had dropped weight just before having her cria, all the relevant faecal tests were done and all came back normal. We decided to call the vet out to take bloods and on doing so she keeled over gasping for air. We were all in a state of shock as we expected her to go back out to graze. We were lucky that her three month old cria had already started eating hard feed but the loss of his mum was devastating to all of us.
UP TO DATE 2014 arrived and we decided that this year we had to make the effort to show our animals in the halter classes as well as showing our fleece.
We were absolutely gob smacked and couldn’t stop smiling all week end, our stud male had clearly done his job and brought the fineness that we required into our herd
38 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
We entered the North Somerset Show with three of our junior boys but unfortunately didn't make the grade. The bar had gone up yet again and we desperately needed to find a new stud male to improve our herd. It was great meeting with so many enthusiastic breeders and looking at so many quality animals, we definitely had caught the 'showing bug'. Not only had we caught the showing bug but also caught the eye of an intermediate male with a truly exquisite fleece. He went on to become Supreme Champion at the show and two weeks later, our new addition to the herd. We then entered the Royal Bath & West Show with two of our junior white males and our adult male Bronco, sadly the young boys only came 5th and 6th in their
class but Bronco came 1st. We then decided to enter our new addition Valley Farm The General and Bronco as well as Bronco's fleece into the Royal Three Counties Show at Malvern, Bronco won 1st place in the Intermediate Brown Fleece class and went on to win Champion Brown Fleece and in the halter class he came 2nd place. The General came 1st in the Intermediate White Male Class, Champion White Male, Supreme Champion and Best of British. We clearly had made the right decision to purchase this male and we will now have to wait with baited breath for the arrival of his and Bronco's progeny. In the meantime we will continue to grow, continue to show and continue with our dream.
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ACOA
UNITED in the STATES Ian Lutz reports on The Alpaca Coalition of America
The alpaca industry in the United States has existed in at least some nascent form since 1984, when the first animals were imported into this country from Chile. Since that time, the domestic herd and the markets which drive it have gone through various permutations with the number of registered alpacas here currently totalling around 230,000 and the best estimates of the total domestic herd size falling somewhere between 300,000-450,000 animals. 40 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
ACOA
T
he memberships of both the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) and the Alpaca Registry Inc. (ARI) voted in late 2013 to merge the two organizations, forming the new Alpaca Owners Association (AOA) in an effort to better streamline operations and allow for some cost savings. Though even before that merger, there was talk amongst some alpaca producers here in the U.S. that there was a missing piece in the organizational landscape if we were to truly pursue a long-term, sustainable American alpaca industry. Into that breech stepped the Alpaca Coalition of America (ACOA). Founded in the summer of 2013 by Steve Aitchison (Epic Alpacas), Julie Mae Campbell (Fleece Station), Lynn Edens (Little Creek Farm/ Accoyo America East), Ian Lutz (Cas-Cad-Nac Farm), Ken Rosenfeld (Renaissance Ridge Alpacas), and Ian Watt (Alpaca Consulting), ACOA is registered in the U.S. as 501(c)(5) industry non-profit organization with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Simply put, the Coalition was created to meet the growing need for a national organization that is focused upon enhancing the true livestock value of alpacas in the United States.
MISSION STATEMENT The Coalition’s mission statement reads: “ACOA is a non-profit organization representing the interests of U.S. alpaca producers. Its goal is to provide a foundation for a profitable and sustainable American alpaca industry by supporting the development of strong markets for alpaca fibre and other alpaca products; advancing the science of alpaca husbandry through investments in research and education,
and promoting the development of strong, mutually beneficial connections between the alpaca industry and other livestock, fibre, and manufacturing sectors.” No one doubts that American alpaca growers need the registry, show system, and the marketing exposure for the U.S. alpaca industry that all now come from under the Alpaca Owners Association’s single umbrella. The Alpaca Coalition of America in no way sees itself as working in conflict against the new AOA. On the contrary, in fact. ACOA feels it is uniquely positioned to be able to both tackle issues confronting the U.S. alpaca industry as well as promote aspects and sectors of that industry that no other organization has been able to address on any substantive level until now. It is the view of the Coalition that the alpaca industry in the U.S. has matured to the point where it can greatly benefit from an additional industry representative that supports producers’ profitability from both the revenue side, by improving the market for alpaca products (fibre, meat, and hides) and from the cost side, by supporting research which will help producers provide high quality, cost-effective care and husbandry. Though the Coalition is still in its relative infancy, the organization has already been pursuing several projects broken down into three major areas of interest: Fibre, Husbandry, and Terminal Markets.
FIBRE A cottage alpaca fibre and textile industry already exists in the United States. With several dozen mini-mills throughout the country specializing in the processing of alpaca fibre, as well organizations such as the Alpaca Fiber
Simply put, the Coalition was created to meet the growing need for a national organization that is focused upon enhancing the true livestock value of alpacas in the United States. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 41
ACOA
Cooperative of North America and the New England Alpaca Fiber Pool which are collecting American-grown alpaca fibre and producing finished textiles for their members, there is already a beachhead of sorts. However, ACOA feels that there is a need for projects that will help to promote U.S.-grown alpaca as a luxury fibre and further support that market. That is the bailiwick of the Coalition’s Fiber Committee. The first of those projects is the Alpaca Yarn Studio. The Yarn Studio aims to make it easier for American knitwear designers and manufacturers to utilize American alpaca in their products by helping them with everything from the development of yarns that meet their product needs, to the sourcing of raw and scoured fibre and mill services. One major challenge facing the American alpaca industry is a lack of uniformity in the way alpaca fibre is shorn and classed in this country. Three different producers may well have completely different protocols for how they take the fleece off their alpacas and how they class the resulting clip. This is something that would be unheard of in say the Australian Merino industry where everything has been laid out in such a way that all growers and producers are following similar protocols and guidelines so as to maximize not only efficiency but ultimately profits for the wool growers themselves. To that end, ACOA is supporting the development of shearing and classing protocols that will improve the marketability of all U.S. alpaca producers' annual clip. It will be much easier for producers to build their businesses and be taken seriously by potential commercial buyers if “grade 1” and “grade 2” alpaca fibre means the same exact thing in California as it does in Maine. Another exciting way that ACOA is looking to focus attention on U.S. producers and jump start commercial interest in American-grown alpaca fibre is through its Premium Bale Project. ACOA recognizes the need for the breeding triumphs of American producers to become more widely known and has established PBP to do just that. 42 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
One major challenge facing the American alpaca industry is a lack of uniformity in the way alpaca fibre is shorn and classed in this country The coalition will sponsor the collection of two bales of elite white huacaya fibre, which will then be sold via auction to the highest bidder from the textile industry. The two bales will be: • Premium Plus: a bale under 18 micron average fibre diameter, with an aggregate standard deviation under 4.0 microns, a comfort factor of not less than 98%, and a maximum staple length variation of 1 inch around an average length of 3.5 inches. Vegetable matter contamination will be at a very low level (on a scale of 1 – 5, at 2 or less) and each fleece will be tested for tensile strength. • Premium: a bale under 20 micron average fibre diameter, with an aggregate standard deviation of less than 4.0 microns, a comfort factor of not less than 98%, and a maximum staple length variation the same as the Premium Plus bale. Vegetable matter contamination will be the same as the Premium Plus bale and all fleeces will be tested for tensile strength. In both cases, the project will not accept juvenile fleeces. In addition to the Yarn Studio and the Premium Bale Project, the Coalition is also helping to connect individual producers with market opportunities for their fleece clips through the development of a nationwide fibre collection calendar which ACOA will maintain on its
website: AlpacaCoaltion.com. As Fiber Committee member Lynn Edens puts it, “the demand for alpaca fibre in the U.S. is actually considerably higher than the supply of properly prepared, high quality fibre available to fill it.” ACOA and its Fiber Committee’s projects aim to help reverse that situation.
HUSBANDRY One of the ways that ACOA feels it is possible to help the future US alpaca industry to be more sustainable and profitable is through promoting livestock management techniques and practices for American alpaca producers that will be as efficient and cost-effective as possible. That subject matter falls under ACOA’s Husbandry Committee, which is headed by Ken Rosenfeld but the committee is also fortunate and honoured to have Dr. Ahmed Tibary of Washington State University and Dr. Robert Van Saun of Pennsylvania State University as members of its Scientific Advisory Board. With its mission well defined and further informed by Ken Rosenfeld’s 30 years of clinical practice as an obstetrician gynaecologist, the Husbandry Committee has started the Cria Weight Gain Project. With the participation of American alpaca breeders -- who are invited to come to the coalition’s web site, create an account free of charge, and enter data from their herd -- ACOA is developing a cria weight gain database. That database will ultimately provide not just cria growth charts but also support targeted research on matters like the impact of parasite infections in the pregnant and lactating dam on subsequent cria development, the role of vitamin D supplementation in cria growth, and whether inducing labor affects crias’ subsequent development - to name just a few of the many anticipated benefits of this project. This was an area of study, which unbeknownst to the Coalition at the time of the project’s conception, Dr. Van Saun had likewise been studying himself, and a major reason why ACOA is now so pleased to have him advising them.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 43
ACOA As Dr. Van Saun himself has said when speaking about the project, “One of the most important factors affecting longevity and quality of life is the rate and quality of growth that occurs following birth through sexual development. It is surprising that the alpaca industry does not have any documented growth curves for their crias to ascertain how well their nutritional program is affecting maternal milk production and cria development. The National Research Council information describing nutrient requirements for growth has inaccurate information on expected rate of gain for young crias. We are in need of robust information describing body weight gain over the first two years of life for the alpaca. Once standardized growth curves have been developed they can become important tools for owners in monitoring health of their crias as well as the quality of the nutritional program. This information may also provide information on how to recognize health concerns prior to clinical presentation. Such a database would also afford us a tremendous opportunity to evaluate the dynamics between maternal factors and cria birth weights, which may provide some useful insights in to factors responsible for small or large birth weights or poor growth. Some preliminary information has suggested a different cria growth pattern based on feeding management practices. There is potential for tremendous information that can be used to help improve the alpaca industry if this information can be sufficiently collected.” As Ken Rosenfeld also put it quite succinctly, “a multidisciplinary approach to the same project will exponentially improve data search and analysis.” With initial data collection having commenced in January of this year, the coalition is hoping to have some initial growth charts that it will be publishing online by the end of summer 2014.
TERMINAL MARKETS ACOA’s Terminal Markets Committee is charged with examining questions surrounding what
has simply come to be known as the “livestock model.” While a terminal market for alpaca meat and hides has become quite common in other industrialized alpaca producing nations, here in the United States the very concept itself is not only in its infancy but still considered somewhat taboo within some circles of the American alpaca community. That being said, the Coalition realizes that the goal of sustainable alpaca farming requires creating as many opportunities for revenue as possible and there had not previously been any national entity shining a light on this potential sector of the industry. ACOA is working to create a network of resources to benefit producers interested in producing alpaca leather, hides, meat, and other ancillary products. As Terminal Markets Committee member Ian Watt said, “Our primary interest, or role, is to be a resource for those wanting information at all levels of involvement in terminal market opportunities. Growers wishing to explore those opportunities, whether they eventually participate in that industry sector or not, would benefit from a one-stop reference library built on a desire to educate rather than selling the concept. Experience has shown that unlike
other aspects of the alpaca industry, terminal market promotion is a two-edged sword in that it evokes intense personal emotional reactions from a sizeable group of growers and so creates possible negative trading opportunities for animal sales, in particular. ACOA takes the view that for many growers the terminal markets offer an extra level of financial viability for their businesses as well as a more structured and efficient farm management system.” Due both to the relative newness of the concept of alpacas as a protein source in the U.S., as well as the regulatory grey area created by the lack of recognition by the United States Department of Agriculture of alpacas even as a potential food animal, the landscape can be very daunting for those alpaca producers that are starting to explore the options presented by terminal markets. With that in mind, the Terminal Markets Committee has already produced as its first project a searchable database of tanneries here in the U.S. willing to tan alpaca hides. In the coming months, the second project of the Terminal Markets Committee will break down the rules and regulations regarding the slaughtering of alpacas and the sale of alpaca meat as they pertain to each of the 50 U.S. States. Some of the states here (Oregon and Vermont, for instance) offer State Inspection through their respective State Agencies or Departments of Agriculture which in many cases would allow producers to sell their alpaca meat in retail situations and even across state lines. It is hoped that once this 2nd project is completed, that alpaca producers in any given state will be able to know instantly what their terminal market options are for their particular part of the country simply by looking it up on ACOA’s web site.
BUILDING A BASE OF SUPPORT ACOA’s founders think that it is important that the organization demonstrate value to their industry before it asks for financial support. Accordingly, anyone who owns alpacas can join ACOA for free until July 1, 2015. Joining will allow producers to access a growing amount of market information, participate in the Coalition’s studies, and see the early results from those studies at no cost other than their time. 44 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
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Defining MALES
46 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
DEFINING MALES
Herdsires, of course, have a major impact on the national and international herd and defining males are those that are prepotent in the traits that matter most when breeding strong, healthy animals carrying a fine, dense fleece for as long as possible. Breeders from the UK and the rest of the world travelled to South America and most particularly Accoyo and Rural Allianza Macusani in the early days searching for animals that would realise their breeding goals. It is impossible to write about all the stud males that have had such an impact in one issue of Alpaca World. Many of the ones we have featured are now dead but they or their progeny are present in the pedigrees of countless alpacas and they have changed forever the look of those early 'primitive' alpacas. I asked Mike Safley of Northwest Alpacas in the USA to write some years ago about the stud males that he considered were of consequence and he chose Caligula and Hemingway and we are reprinting his article. From Australia Steve Marshall of Stansbury Alpacas writes about the Purrumbete Super Six - Ledgers Dream, Highlander, El Dorado, Sir Titus Salt, Snowman and Inti. Closer to home Mary Jo Smith of Bozedown Alpacas explains why she believes that Galaxy and Dazzler have had a major impact on their herd. Whilst Nick Harrington Smith, former manager at Arunvale Alpacas and now co-owner of the Alpaca Stud, talks about the merits of imports he was involved in. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 47
DEFINING MALES: SUPER SIX
THE PURRUMBETE SUPER SIX
Any research into stud males that have substantially improved the quality of the Australian Alpaca herd will include the Purrumbete Super Six. By Steve Marshall 48 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
lpacas were reintroduced to Australia in 1989, following a failed attempt in 1858, with quite a diverse range of colour and quality in both fleece and conformation. A shipment of alpacas imported by Roger Haldane, all registered with a birth date of January 1991 were brought into Australia in 1993 and included 28 alpacas that stood out as something different. These particular 28 alpacas were of a more solid build, exhibited much denser fleeces and in general were more consistent in phenotype. Registered with the Australian International Alpaca Register by the tag numbers 2401 through to 2428, it has become widely accepted that these alpacas were
sourced from Don Barreda's Estancia Accoyo herd in Peru. Their consistent quality and prepotency to reproduce that quality, led many to assume that they derived from a closed herd with a reasonable level of linebreeding to achieve such reliable consistency. The male alpacas within the group all bearing the prefix Purrumbete and now known as the Super Six were; 2401 Ledgers Dream, 2402 Highlander, 2403 El Dorado, 2404 Sir Titus Salt, 2405 Snowman and 2406 Inti. The impact of these males was immediate as they dominated the show ring and so did their progeny. Although the Super Six are all now deceased their legacy will live on through their progeny for generations.
DEFINING MALES: SUPER SIX
Purrumbete El Dorado
Purrumbete Ledgers Dream
Tag Progeny Certified % Certified Male Male
Progeny Certified Male
Purrumbete Ledgers Dream 2401
325
52
16
Ledgers Dream
325
52
Purrumbete Highlander
2402
408
104
26
Highlander
408
104
Purrumbete El Dorado
2403
644
86
13
El Dorado
644
86
Purrumbete Sir Titus Salt
2404
225
18
8
Sir Titus Salt
225
18
Purrumbete Snowman
2405
154
24
16
Snowman
154
24
Purrumbete Inti
2406
645
67
10
Inti
645
67
The graph above shows the direct impact, on what was at the time, a relatively small Australian herd. Three of the Super Six were recognised for specific attributes and many alpaca breeders throughout Australia and beyond have been keen to have tag numbers, 2402, 2403 and 2406 somewhere in the pedigree of their own alpacas. Purrumbete Inti's well deserved reputation was built on his ability to pass on a highly stylish, very dense fleece with well defined crimp and excellent staple length. Inti's influence is still quite recognisable today in the breeding lines that some herds have embraced. Purrumbete El Dorado was also known for his highly sought after fleece attributes which he also quite reliably passed on to his progeny. El Dorado also became known as the preferred damsire. An extraordinary number of El Dorado's daughters went on to become champions and also produce champions. Recognising the influence of El Dorado, buyers sought to purchase alpacas that were sired by either Ledgers Dream, Highlander or Inti that also included El Dorado on the dam's side of the pedigree. A recipe for success. Perhaps the most famous of the Super Six was Highlander. He was an exceptional animal known as the best all rounder. While only siring two thirds of the number of progeny of Inti and El Dorado, Highlander has made the greatest impact on the Australian alpaca herd. An amazing twenty six percent of Highlanders offspring were registered and certified as stud males. In fact when Highlander produced a male offsping there was greater than a one in two chance that it would be of stud quality and certified for breeding.
Well what about their influence today? Despite many millions of dollars being spent on numerous Peruvian imports the Super Six still show up in the pedigrees of alpacas at the highest level. A quick look through the pedigrees of the Australian National Grand Champions shows Ledgers Dream, Inti, El Dorado and Highlander's influence in more than half of the winners. Highlander again stands out as making the greatest impact having sired four winners, being represented in the pedigrees of more than one third of the Australian National Grand Champions which actually also includes the two most recent in 2012 and 2013. There are certainly other stud males now making their mark in the Australian Alpaca herd. Jolimont Warrior is just one of the next generation of defining males, currently with 177 certified male offspring from a total of 822 registered progeny. However, it is with some interest that I look through the pedigrees of current Grand Champion alpacas to find an extraordinary number of them are still built on a foundation of the Super Six, considering they arrived on the scene more than twenty years ago. It is safe to assume the impact of the Super Six and in particular, Purrumbete Highlander's genetics will be readily available in the future due to the number of alpaca breeders that have recognised quality and chosen to linebreed, thereby preserving those traits. www.stansburyalpacas.com.au PO Box 195, Inglewood, South Australia, 5133 Tel: + 61 883 805 965 Email: steve@stansburyalpacas.com.au
Purrumbete Sir Titus Salt
Purrumbete Highlander
Purrumbete Inti
Although the Super Six are all now deceased their legacy will live on through their progeny for generations ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 49
DEFINING MALES: DAZZLER & GALAXY
BOYS KEEP WINNING Dazzler Mary Jo (sitting) in Peru
Mary Jo Smith of Bozedown Alpacas has picked out two defining males that have influenced the Bozedown herd – Dazzler and Galaxy.
I
was recently home to visit my parents in Canada and while I was there Mom and I were going through old photos. Well I came across photos of Joy and myself with the alpacas in 1990 and then again when I visited in 1998 and more through years from 2000 when I came to work here. I have to say I had a chuckle at the alpacas from the early years. They have developed and changed so much in the last 25 years! Over the years we have had a few stud males that I believe played a pivotal role in defining our herd for what it is now. Most people that have been in the industry for any length of time will have probably heard of them or come across their progeny. In 1999, we had our first Peruvian import arrive and two males that came off that import
50 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
were Alonso and Star of Bozedown. These boys at that time were covering a lot of what we would now call ‘primitive stock’ and so one of their significant areas of improvement was to stamp a vastly improved phenotype along with bringing a marked improvement on fineness throughout. However, two truly defining males with exceptional prepotent genetics that have impacted our herd along with the other herds in the UK and Europe are Galaxy and Dazzler of Bozedown. Both of these males I selected in Peru in 2001. After being in the alpaca business for a little over a year Joy sent me to Peru to join some Australian breeders on a buying trip. I was sent with instructions to find the top stud males to improve our breeding programme in the UK. It was a nerve
Galaxy
racking trip with a lot of pressure to make sure I came home with some studs Joy would be proud of. It was incredibly memorable going around the altiplano and meeting all the farmers along with seeing an astounding number of alpacas. I must have looked at thousands of animals to select the 12 boys I wanted to bring home. When we reached Juliaca, which became one of my favourite hotels, as we were served salads and vegetables and had hot water - pure luxury, we heard that there was an alpaca show going on just outside the town. We asked our guides if we could go and watch and to find out if we could potentially purchase any alpacas there. The answer was YES! Once arriving at the show we were allowed to go through the pens of
DEFINING MALES: DAZZLER & GALAXY anyone who wanted to sell some alpacas, I don’t remember anyone objecting to the idea of selling their alpacas.
STAR GALAXY It was at this show that I found Galaxy and I had 8th pick. Everyone else looking to buy males had the opportunity to select before me as they were buying more alpacas and I was just looking for males. Thankfully, those breeders were only looking for white huacayas so my selection of suris and colours was easier. Once I got a peek at Galaxy, I tried not to show my delight and prayed silently that no one else would want him. To my relief they thought 18 months was too young and too much of a gamble. Well I took the gamble and tagged him before anyone could change their mind. Galaxy was 18 months old and I had never seen a male at such a young age displaying all the characteristics that I was looking for. He was incredibly dense and fine carrying a highly organised fleece. I was very excited to be able to purchase him and to know that he would one day be breeding on our farm. The males purchased on this trip had to go to Australia from Peru and then were imported into the UK in the spring of 2003. As usual in breeding alpacas everything takes time and patience. When the group was finally ready to come to the UK, among the group were some females with cria at foot sired by Galaxy. While the boys did their quarantine in Australia I paid them a visit and purchased some females so we got to see then and there what we hoped Galaxy would produce. The day the group were arriving in the UK I made myself scarce as Joy and Ken headed to Heathrow to collect the alpacas I had selected. It was a very nerve-racking day for me. Thankfully it was not long before the call came in and I found out that Joy was thrilled with my selection and it was safe to go home.
SO WHAT HAS MADE THESE TWO MALES DEFINING MALES IN OUR HERD? The answer is genetics and more specifically prepotent males. Galaxy was not only a male Galaxy progeny
Galaxy in Australia
who carries all the traits that we look for in our alpacas, but also he himself has won Supreme Championships as well as being the multiple winner of the Futurity Herdsire Champion Cup. Which also shows that he stamps his offspring with his highly desirable traits. Galaxy has brought extreme density to our herd along with residual fineness and handle. When walking out in the fields you can pick his offspring out by their beautiful phenotypes and when you get your hands on them it is the density that stands out above all else. After a few years of breeding with Galaxy we noticed that he was not dominant in colour and we decided to have a play with improving our black huacayas using Galaxy to improve the density and fineness through them. This was going to be a long term project as the intention was to hopefully get all darker colours which we mainly did but then it was to cross those females back to black to emphasise the colour black. We have had greater success with this than we could ever have hoped for and we now have a black son of Galaxy, Code Breaker who is producing some excellent blue black progeny.
NEVER LET ME DOWN Not only has Galaxy improved our herd with his progeny but his progeny have also gone on to excel and continue to improve our herd. With Dazzler progeny
Dazzler in Australia
experience in breeding alpacas you will know that not all quality animals manage to produce progeny that are better than themselves, but this is something that Galaxy has managed to do tenfold. Sadly we lost Galaxy this last winter at nearly 13 years of age, However, his bloodline is strong within our herd and his progeny are continuing improve our herd. He will have a lasting memory on our farm. Dazzler of Bozedown was selected on the same trip to Peru as Galaxy, he however, was purchased from Rural Alianza. Dazzler was named due to the abundance of lustre he has in his fleece. When Dazzler arrived on the farm our suris were in need of improvement and he brought this in shedloads. He added strength of bone to his progenys' frames along with density. His fleece style is a wave and twist and the fibres are so highly aligned that they layer with extreme density as the result. Dazzler has produced many award winning progeny and although he has been breeding on our farm for many years, we are still using him and he is still producing some truly beautiful lustrous suris. This is my favourite time of year, crias arriving on a daily basis and you get to see if you made the correct decision with which male you chose to cover your females . In order to get the most out of your females it is very important to understand where you are starting from and in what areas you want to improve them. The last of Galaxy’s progeny will arrive this year and that saddens me, but I know he has done us proud and his legacy will carry on in the herd.
Not only has Galaxy improved our herd with his progeny but his progeny have also gone on to excel and continue to improve our herd ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 51
DEFINING MALES: ACCOYO
The Father’s Lineage Accoyo’s Caligula and Cconchatanca’s Hemingway By Mike Safley
E
very livestock breed has its legends. Racing has Man O’ War and Bold Ruler; Aberdeen Angus breeders revere Old Jock; and Merino breeders remember Master Builder, a descendent of the great impact sire Majestic. Alpacas of pedigree are a rather recent phenomenon. We cannot reach back centuries or even decades for the icons of alpaca breed improvement. The most famous alpaca herd sires are of recent vintage, some are still alive. Alpaca World asked me to write about one or two herd sires that I thought were of consequence to the breed. I chose Accoyo’s Caligula and Cconchatanca’s Hemingway who have both thrown their seed to the four winds of Peru, Australia, the United States, and England. But to understand these males, both imported from Peru to the United States, one needs to know exactly where and from whom they were born.
ACCOYO I first heard Julio Barreda’s name in 1990. I asked a Peruvian friend, who was in the alpaca textile business, a simple question, “Who has the best alpacas in Peru?” My friend replied, without hesitation, “Don Julio Barreda.” My first opportunity to inspect alpacas from Accoyo occurred in 1991 before I met the legendary Don Julio. During a visit to Grupo Inca’s experimental breeding farm in Sallalli, on my first trip to Peru, I inspected 24 huacaya machos just purchased from Barreda’s Accoyo ranch. Each male, more massive than any I had ever seen, was extreme in its traits, with great waves of crimp, microscopic fineness, and prodigious density. I remember thinking they are surely of a different breed than their puny brethren that populate my pastures at home. I arranged to meet Don Julio Barreda in Arequipa shortly after viewing his males at
Sallalli. I was immediately attracted by his kind, honest demeanour and his willingness to share his knowledge of alpacas. All of these events occurred when it was illegal to export alpacas from Peru. At that time, I could only dream of owning alpacas from Accoyo. The laws of Peru were finally changed, and in 1994 the first Accoyo alpacas were imported into the United States. After many decades of rigorous genetic selection, Barreda had redefined the alpaca. He maintained two herds or breed of huacaya. In 2005 the B line produces a fine but less dense fleece of 20 microns or less. The Plantel produces a very dense fleece averaging 24 microns. Most of these alpacas produce over 10 pounds of fleece annually; some from the A line produce close to 20 pounds. The dramatic nature of Don Julio’s results was demonstrated when 462 huacayas were shorn prior to entering quarantine for the 1995 Peruvian Five Star Alpaca Import Sale. Of the 462 huacayas, 92 were from Accoyo. The Accoyo fleeces averaged 8.61 pounds. The 370 fleeces from six other farms averaged 6.31 pounds—a difference of 2.3 pounds, or 36% per animal. The fleece of the Accoyo huacayas averaged 22.13 microns and some had micron counts as low as 17. The average standard deviation was 4.82 microns and the coefficient of variation averaged was 22.91%. The balance of the import was about the same fineness with a higher standard deviation. The average Accoyo animal sampled was 18 months older than other imports: simply amazing.
I remember thinking they are surely of a different breed than their puny brethren that populate my pastures at home
52 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
RURAL ALLIANZA MACUSANI Today Rural Allianza is home to 40,000 alpacas, Peru’s largest surviving alpaca co-op; it is recognized as the volume producer of the highest quality commercial fibre available. The machos and hembras of Allianza’s Royal Family repeatedly
DEFINING MALES: ACCOYO
win prizes at alpaca shows throughout Peru. It was at Rural Allianza Macusani, that Hemingway was discovered by importer Clyde Haldane of Purumbete Alpaca Stud, Australia. Hemingway arrived at Jim Vickers’ Maplewood Farm in August of 1993, part of the first ever Peruvian import into the United States. Clyde, and his brother, Roger, together with Phil Mizrahie of the Pet Center, were there to select two males “off the top of the import.” They made Hemingway one of their choices. I have a confession to make. I didn’t like Hemingway—he would squeal and cush when touched, and although he would eventually grow out of his quarantine induced fear, I tried to talk Clyde and Roger out of choosing him. The Haldane’s choices were headed for Northwest Alpacas to stand at stud before being exported to Australia. Roger was nonplussed with my negative remarks and not about to alter his choice when he said, “At the end of the day, these animals are meant to produce fleece and this one is plenty fine. He’ll serve us well.” In retrospect my naiveté knew no bounds. Hemingway travelled to Northwest Alpacas and I eventually purchased him from the Haldanes. His progeny are now located around the world. Hemingway’s offspring have all been of sound health, fine fleece, and outstanding phenotype. His sons command extraordinary prices and are the lead males in many a breeding program. Hemingway made his mark early on; he was the first place adult male at the 1995 Alpaca Fest in Hillsboro, Oregon, which was, at the time, the largest alpaca show in the United States. In the white juvenile male halter class, the first four ribbon winners from a class of ten were Hemingway’s progeny. At the 1996 show in Estes Park, Colorado and the AOBA National in Denver, Colorado, Hemingway’s offspring won first place in the white weanling classes, both male and female, each competing against 25 entries in their respective classes. These awards were made before the rule that split classes at 15 and before championships were awarded. His colored cria won multiple blue ribbons at both shows. Hemingway’s early histograms are exceptional in every respect. His numbers are matched by few studs, if any, currently working in the world, and his fleece at five years of age was, on average, 17.8 microns, 3.7 standard deviation, 20% coefficient of variation, and 1% of microns over 30. In 1995, Cameron Holt of Melbourne Institute of Textiles said, “Hemingway is an exceptional animal. He tests better than any male I’ve seen [1995], his fleece is soft and I would breed him to every female I could.” Time has proved Cameron’s words. Hemingway currently has 387 registered offspring. Today at 16 years of age his crimpy fleece measures 23.7 microns. But even more than his remarkable histograms it is Hemingway’s ability to influence the fleece of his progeny that marks him as a great herd sire. The following index is a representation of Hemingway’s ability to pass on his fineness to his progeny: HEMIMGWAY FLEECE INDEX by micron count Hemingway
Dam
Yearling
Dam/Cria difference
Improvement of cria over dam
1
17.80
37.10
23.00
-14.10
-38.01%
2
17.80
31.90
21.90
-10.00
-31.35%
3
17.80
29.60
22.70
-6.90
-23.31%
4
17.80
28.50
20.10
-8.40
-29.47%
5
17.80
28.00
23.10
-4.90
-17.50%
6
17.80
27.90
22.30
-5.60
-20.07% -32.70%
7
17.80
26.30
22.60
-8.60
8
17.80
23.30
20.90
-2.40
-10.30%
AVG
17.80
29.80
22.08
-7.61
-25.34%
At the second annual All American Futurity all of the following Hemingway offspring who were entered won ribbons in the hypercompetitive white classes: ALL AMERICAN FUTURITY RESULTS: 1999 Progeny
Herd Sire
Owner
Hemingway's El Reino
M
Hemingway
Bocher
Snowmass Hemingway's Surprise
F
Peru Hemingway
Hendrickson
Ms Tommie
F
Peru Hemingway
Nielson
Lorrie
F
Peru Hemingway
NWA/Line Ptr
Joy
F
Peru Hemingway
NWA/Line Ptr
NWA Euphoric Spike
M
Peru Hemingway
Safley
Snowmass Royal Rose
M
Peru Hemingway
Skinner
Snowmass Andean Dream
M
Peru Hemingway
Skinner
CALIGULA The 1994 import from Peru provided the first Accoyo alpacas to the United States. Julio Barreda personally selected the males that were included. This particular shipment was of extraordinary quality. Two Accoyo males stood out; Caligula and Pluro. Tom Hunt knew that Barreda favoured Caligula, and when he won the coin toss to select first, he made Caligula his choice off the top of the import. Years later I asked Barreda why he had sent some of his best Plantel males in that first import. “They were my business card,” he said. “I didn’t want anyone to forget Accoyo.” Caligula died in 2003 with 203 registered offspring. His progeny won 12 get of sire competitions, two of those at AOBA National shows. Once he was 2nd in the get class at the Nationals, losing to his son Accoyo’s El Nino’s first place get. His sons and daughters have won 17 championships at the largest shows in the U.S., not counting the breeder’s best awards. Today Caligula’s offspring are working in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and England. The following results from the 2001 Futurity demonstrate the results for both Caligula and Hemingway’s progeny in the brutally competitive white classes: ALL AMERICAN FUTURITY RESULTS: 2001 Place
Sire
Stud Owner
Progeny Name
1
P Hemingway
Hemingway, Ltd.
Nautilus
4
Hemingway
Hemingway, Ltd.
Majestic
5
P Hemingway
Hemingway, Ltd.
Alta's Ultima
6
Hemingway
Hemingway, Ltd.
Holly
5
P Hemingway
Hemingway, Ltd.
Steinbeck of PVA
6
Hemingway
Hemingway, Ltd.
Moses
5
P Hemingway
Hemingway, Ltd.
MSA Hemingway's Eric
1
Pp Caligula
Mecklem
Minipani
3
Pp Caligula
Mecklem
Periwinkle
5
Pp Caligula
Mecklem
C. Acc. Tinkerbelle
1
Pp Caligula
Mecklem
Poseidon
4
Pp Caligula
Mecklem
Santorini
1
Pp Caligula
Mecklem
Poseidon
Tim Vincent of Celebrity Sales and the All American Futurity has seen many of Hemingway and Caligula’s progeny over the years. Here is what he had to say about two of the world’s premier herd sires. “Hemingway grabbed our attention at the very first Futurity Sale and Show in 1998 where his offspring swept the Yearling Huacaya Breed Championship and one of his daughters was the high selling auction female, bringing $48,000. At that same event were a few of the first offspring of another male named Caligula, who within the next two years would produce enough progeny to make him the 2001 Futurity Herd Sire of the Year. Since the inception of the futurity, these two males and their offspring have combined to win over 100 ribbons, and more than $50,000 in prize money.” And the All American Futurity is but one show held once a year. Barreda’s business card served him well.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 53
DEFINING MALES: IMPORTS
Nick Harrington Smith was manager of Arunvale Alpacas and involved in many of the early imports, the first being in 1999/2000 when a group from Peru got stuck in Canada after the USA closed its registry to imports.
T
he Canadian market, once astonishingly buoyant, collapsed and Alan Hamilton, the Australian owner of Arunvale, brought his group to the UK. Amongst that group were the dark fawn Aztec Dream 110 registered cria; the black Shaft's Dream, 194 registered cria; Wiracochas Dream,a white, 97 registered cria and a black suri Ebony Dream, 74 registered cria; Suri Wonder Dream, 179 registered cria. So what did that first group bring to the table? Nick writes:"Aztec Dream most importantly created progeny that were better than he was with a level of density and fineness across a broad selection of females whilst Shaft's Dream is best described as a black male before his time with outstanding colour uniformity through to the end of his life. Wirachochas Dream was arguably the first white male to enter the country with the head type so revered by breeders today and his progeny have enduring fineness. Ebony Dream, a very rare black suri at the time, was very slight of frame and would not on first appearance signal his claim to be included in the list but he did go on to be the foundation of many a coloured breeding programme. I would contend that Suri Wonder Dream stands out as the most influential suri male in the British breeding programme. Beautifully balanced on an outstandingly strong frame he carried a dense, fine and lustrous fleece with excellent organisation. He has many show champions amongst his progeny and he has earned his reputation by the consistency of his progeny including those that didn't make the show ring." The medium fawn suri Alpaca Stud Fusion, 63 registered cria, British born male from two Peruvian imports, is perhaps the first nonimported Suri to make his mark in the breeding programme. He has consistently imparted his strength of frame and Suri phenotype on his progeny and from a broad range of differing quality females. His consistency of performance was validated when awarded the British Alpaca Futurity Champion Herdsire in 2011, and is a valued name on any pedigree. In 2003 a group of breeders got together calling themselves Accoyo UK. They brought in Accoyo Killawasi, 128 registered cria; Accoyo Remarque,
54 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
146 registered cria; Accoyo Dostoyevsky, 48 registered cria; Accoyo Bulleyman, 179 registered cria; The Golden Gun, 161 registered cria and Quetchuan Frottle, 111 registered cria. Nick Harrington Smith writes: “The suri Accoyo Bulleyman was lacking a little of the density of Wonder Dream however he carried a little more independence of lock so valued at the time and a degree more lustre so was a perfect match for Wonder Dream progeny. Accoyo Killawasi was chosen from the core Accoyo herd and had an impressive frame and phenotype. Whilst his fleece was never the finest he carried outstanding density and organisation. Accoyo Remarque carried a long staple with good density but was slightly finer than Killawasi and over a short time proved his prepotency and went on to become the foundation of many outstanding bloodlines today. Accoyo Dostoyevsky was lesser known but proved to be a reliable foundation for many new lines. This male has been underutilised and I believe a missed opportunity for the industry as a whole. The Golden Gun is perhaps the most influential fawn male to have been imported in the first ten years of the industry. His fleece was ultra-fine even in advancing years and his outstanding trait was his uniformity of micron within the staple and across the body allied to very fine primary fibres. Quetchuan Frottle or Spook as he was fondly named was the elder of the 2003 Accoyo import and probably the most prepotent. Very compact, he was beautifully balanced with a heavy set frame and carrying a dense, uniform and relatively fine fleece for his age. The majority of his progeny carried those self same traits and there are a number of his sons proving his worth by continuing the blood line. One of the later imports into the UK in 2006 was Dovecote Jaquinto of Alpaca Stud, 236 registered cria, who still carried a uniform fine and dense fleece in his 11th year. Perhaps no surprise given his own antecedents numbering amongst them the great Vengador and the legendary Shere Khan. He has many champions and supreme champions amongst his sons and daughters and was Futurity Champion Herdsire in 2011 whilst his son Nyetimber won the title in 2013.
Suri Wonder Dream
Accoyo Remarque
Dovecote Jaquinto
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 55
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• Faecal testing using the Modified Stoll’s test, the optimum test for camelids (prices from £16/sample) • Cria IgG testing • Same day bloodwork on clinical consultations
• Courses for owners/breeders, vets and vet students • Neonatal clinics, health and reproduction courses, workshops • Courses designed to suit requirements - just ask!
Consultation • On medical, reproductive and herd health issues affecting alpacas and llamas • 11 years experience at referral level • Herd health planning service • Farm visits possible • Advice packages available
Based in Oxfordshire
56 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
For further information, pricing or advice, contact Claire on +44 (0)7769 271506 or email claire@ukalpacavet.com
www.ukalpacavet.com
Where quality fibre production is key and support to our clients is paramount
Small elite herd living on a bio secure farm. Top quality stud males. Quality confirmed by success in show ring of the males and their progeny. Check them out on the BAS registry.
Hanley Hall RA Polaris BASUK13689
Five times Supreme Champion 2010-2013
Peruvian Concepts Jack
Co-owned with Summerhaze Alpacas BASBASUK11450
Supreme Champion BAS National Show 2013
Jessamine Redlands BASUK16996
BAF 2012 Champion Grey Male
Pregnant females and young stock for sale at realistic prices. Advice, training and full after sales support for new owners. Talk to Di Davies: Tel 07739 382483 or 01308 488661 Email didavies@alpaca.fsnet.co.uk or visit www.alphaalpacas.com
Mid-Cornwall’s premier alpaca herd Our breeding aim is to maximise fibre production and improve fibre quality generation upon generation, with a view to providing the ultimate fibre for yarn production. alpacas usually for sale. Higher Carpalla Farm Foxhole St Austell 01726 338580 07974 796792 nigel@nigelretallack.co.uk
a pacas Nigel and Margaret Retallack
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 57
CLOSTRIDIAL VACCINATION
The INFAMOUS FIVE Vaccinating alpacas against clostridial diseases using 5-in-1 vaccine. By Jane Vaughan BVSc PhD MACVSc
58 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
CLOSTRIDIAL VACCINATION
Efficacy of 5-in-1 vaccination relies on the administration of 2 doses of vaccine, injected under the skin 4-6 weeks apart to produce active immunity BACKGROUND 5-in-1 vaccine protects against 5 different but related bacteria known collectively as clostridial diseases. These bacteria can cause sudden death in your alpacas. They are identified individually as: 1. Tetanus (Clostridium tetani) – animals often found dead soon after shearing/ castration/dog bite wounds/where inadequate disinfection of castration equipment used or castration performed in unhygienic conditions (dirty yards, wet weather). 2. Pulpy kidney/enterotoxaemia (Clostridium perfringens Type D) – sudden death in multiple livestock being fed large quantities of highly digestible carbohydrate (think lush pastures, cereal grain and cereal grain-based pellets). Often affects the largest weaners in a mob. 3. Black leg (Clostridium chauvoei) – caused by infection of wounds from shearing cuts/ rough handling in yards/females following difficult birth/navel infection soon after birth/castration. Infection causes local inflammation (red and swollen tissue), gas under the skin, blood poisoning and rapid death. 4. Black’s disease/infectious necrotic hepatitis (Clostridium novyi Type B) – spores lie dormant in the liver and can be activated by migrating liver fluke, leading to toxin production and sudden death. 5. Malignant oedema (Clostridium novyi Type A, Clostridium sordelli, Clostridium septicum, Clostridium chauvoei) – often associated with fighting/infected wounds
from shearing/castration/difficult birth/dog bites, leading to blood poisoning and death. The bacteria are often concentrated around yards and in and around dung piles, and spores can survive in soil for many years.
HOW DOES THE VACCINE WORK? Efficacy of 5-in-1 vaccination relies on the administration of 2 doses of vaccine, injected under the skin 4-6 weeks apart to produce active immunity. The first dose is known as the priming dose and it stimulates the immune system of your alpaca to produce antibodies against the diseases in the vaccine. The second dose is known as the booster dose because after this second dose is given, the immune system recognises the recently given vaccine and produces more antibodies for a more prolonged time, as depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Antibody response to vaccination.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 59
CLOSTRIDIAL VACCINATION A booster dose every 6 months thereafter is required to maintain a protective level of antibodies in your alpacas. Timing of injection of this twice yearly booster in your females should include a booster 4-6 weeks prior to parturition, so that antibodies produced by the female enter the first milk or colostrum, and are drunk by the neonate in the first 12 hours of life. The antibodies are absorbed across the gut wall, enter the blood stream and circulate around the body, thus providing protection to the cria against clostridial diseases for approximately 8-12 weeks. This is known as passive immunity because the neonate did not make the antibodies itself.
HOW TO USE THE VACCINE?
Figure 2. Site of subcutaneous injection in alpacas in front of the shoulder blade.
Vaccine should ideally be discarded 30 days after opening. Vaccine that was opened last season should not be used this season!
60 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
Read the instructions that come with the 5-in-1 vaccine and look after the vaccine so it maintains its efficacy. When you buy the vaccine keep it cool and out of direct sunlight after purchase en route to placing it in the fridge when you get home. On the day/s of use, carry the vaccine in an bag containing a cold brick to the yards and place the vaccine back in the bag during breaks such as lunch to maximise life and efficacy of the vaccine. At the end of the day, remember to put the vaccine back in the fridge and not leave the pack/s hooked on a nail in the woolshed or rattling around in the back of your vehicle. Write the date you opened the vaccine on the plastic container. Vaccine should ideally be discarded 30 days after opening. Vaccine that was opened last season should not be used this season! Shake vaccine container well before use. If you are only injecting a few livestock, you can use a needle and syringe to draw up the vaccine. Swab the rubber bung with alcohol before inserting the needle. Remove air bubbles from the syringe so each animal gets the correct dose. If you leave the needle in the top of the vaccine container for filling multiple syringes, place plastic vaccine pack upright (so it does not leak!) in the bag between uses to keep dust out of the needle hub. Do not leave the container with a needle in it sitting up on a fence post in the sun. Otherwise, use a clean vaccinator gun with a new needle at the start of each day. Replace
the needle when it gets blunt. Avoid getting air bubbles in the line/syringe so all livestock get the appropriate dose. The appropriate volume of vaccine to administer varies according to the manufacturer so read the label carefully. Alpacas should be given a sheep dose if not specified on the label. Alpaca owners need to be aware that few vaccines are registered for use in alpacas. Consult your local veterinarian for advice on vaccine use in alpacas on your farm. Vaccine should be injected under the skin (subcutaneously), NOT into the muscle (intramuscularly). To facilitate this, use short needles. Insert the needle at a shallow angle at the base of the neck in front of the shoulder blade where there is loose skin on the side of the neck (Figure 2). Do not inject too close to the dorsal mid-line to avoid the large ligament that supports the neck. Do not inject too close to the ventral midline to avoid the trachea and major nerves and blood vessels in that area. Do not pick up the skin with your other hand to avoid self-injection! If administering other medications at the same time, make sure you use different sides of the neck so there is no accidental mixing of the different treatments under the skin, which could lead to inactivation of the different products, and therefore waste the pounds you have just invested.
WHEN TO VACCINATE? 1. Crias should be vaccinated at 8 weeks to provide a priming dose, when the protection from the mother’s milk is starting to decline. 2. Crias should be vaccinated again 4-6 weeks later to provide a booster dose thus ensuring maximal effect of the vaccine. 3. Pregnant females should be vaccinated 4-6 weeks pre-parturition to ensure high concentrations of clostridial antibodies in the colostrum. 4. Twice yearly vaccination of all stock prior to high-risk periods (e.g. start of grain/pellet feeding). 5. ANY new stock on to the property: Vaccinate twice, 4-6 weeks apart to ensure they have been boosted properly, then as per home-grown livestock.
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 61
CLOSTRIDIAL VACCINATION
Vaccinating your stock correctly against clostridial diseases is a cheap and effective way to prevent many of the causes of sudden death in all ages of stock in your herd WHAT’S IN 6-IN-1 AND 7-IN-1 VACCINES? 6-in-1 vaccine is designed for use in sheep, goats and alpacas and protects against the 5 clostridial diseases discussed above, and another bacterial disease known as cheesy gland/CLA/caseous lymphadenitis (Corynebacterium ovis). The organism is picked up by animals that have not been vaccinated, through shearing cuts/infected combs and cutters/dipping after shearing/close yarding. Infection leads to abscess formation in lymph nodes around the body and carcass condemnation at the meat works. Vaccinate according to manufacturers directions and avoid dipping for lice until shearing wounds have healed. 7-in-1 vaccine protects against the 5 clostridial diseases discussed above, and two types of leptospirosis. The latter two organisms can affect cattle, sheep, goats and alpacas and is spread
by urine from infected animals contaminating pastures, water and feed. Humans can also be infected. Clinical signs of leptospirosis include abortions, reduced milk output, red urine, illthrift and may cause death. Speak to your veterinarian about using 6-in-1 and 7-in-1 vaccines in your alpaca herd.
SUMMARY Vaccinating your stock correctly against clostridial diseases is a cheap and effective way to prevent many of the causes of sudden death in all ages of stock in your herd. It is imperative that livestock receive a booster dose 4-6 weeks after the priming injection, followed up by an annual booster timed appropriately (females 4-6 weeks before giving birth, other stock prior to going on to grain/pellet supplements).
Websites with more information on clostridial diseases include: • www.mla.com.au/Livestock-production/Animal-health-welfare-and-biosecurity/Diseases/ Infectious/Clostridial-diseases • www.mla.com.au/Livestock-production/Animal-health-welfare-and-biosecurity/Husbandry/ Vaccinating • www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/179860/sheep-vaccination-programs.pdf • www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/111250/beef-cattle-vaccines.pdf
62 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
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UK Alpaca Ltd
Supporting British Alpaca Breeders
2014 Fleece Collection
UK Alpaca will buy ALL your huacaya fleece including leg and short neck. All grades of fibre have value and we are pleased to say that all your fleeces are used to make a variety of yarns in Britain with the lower grades going into cushions and bedding. Keep British fleeces in the UK. Support us in developing a reputation for supplying the best high quality British alpaca yarns into the wholesale and retail markets. Prices paid for the 2014 clip will be as follows. Contact us for your copy of our shearing guidelines including tips to maximise returns from your clip. Grade
Colour
Skirted Price/kg excl VAT
Unskirted Price/kg excl VAT
Baby
White
£12
£10
Baby
Coloured
£8
£6
Fine
White
£8
£6
Fine
Coloured
£5
£3
Skirtings, short neck, coarse and shearing waste
All
£0.40
Please do not consign your yearling necks to ‘waste’. They should be bagged separately and if the neck staple is more than three inches long will go into the top grades. UK Alpaca specialises in British alpaca yarns with full provenance and aims to support alpaca breeders by maintaining our reputation for high quality product. If you sell us your fleece you are entitled to buy back stock yarns at wholesale prices with no minimum order.
For more information contact Chas Brooke or Rachel Hebditch on 01884 243579 or rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk UK Alpaca Ltd, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8NB
www.ukalpaca.com ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 63
ADVERTORIAL: ALPACA WARDROBE
The End of the Beginning By Caroline Wardell
IT
all began in 1994, I was 20 years old and working for The Body Shop and my mum Jenny Randall was a machine knitting teacher at the local adult education college. She was presented with an opportunity to go to Peru for a few months as a volunteer to work with a cooperative of machine knitters. At the time I wasn't even sure where Peru was. Half way through her time there I was luckily enough to fly out to visit mum in Arequipa, blissfully unaware of how my visit to South America would be the beginning of something quite special. At the time outside influences in Peru were somewhat limited. The group could only draw inspiration and design ideas from magazines of the previous decade or even the one before that. Mum worked with them on some modern designs that would appeal to wider markets and advised on quality control. She left the group with a sense of achievement, and with someone to carry on the good work. She travelled home with a suitcase full of alpaca knitwear and started selling the items to family and friends. Since then she has continued to return to Peru at least once a year. Twelve years ago I gave up my 'proper' job to have my first child. So with a baby in tow I started to help out and carried out basic behind the scenes admin work, as my family grew so did my involvement with the business. I became more involved in design and product development and also created a website. 64 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
Earlier this year Mum and I travelled to Lima together, it was wonderful to see how the country had changed and meet again with some of the workers from my first trip who still work with us today. Building on the reputation of Concepts of Peru, it's now time for me to take over the family business. Promising continued commitment to providing work for the people we met in Peru, and by producing quality alpaca knitwear, for our valued existing and future customers. I would like to introduce you to The Alpaca Wardrobe. “Now this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps, the end of the beginning.� Winston Churchill.
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 65
ALPACAS AND MINING
SWEET HARMONY IN PERU 66 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
ALPACAS AND MINING
A new initiative is a model for harmonizing Peru’s alpaca and mining interests. By Francis Rainsford in Arequipa
W
henever problems involving issues of social conflict arise in Peru it is practically inevitable that the mining sector is to the fore. Whereas mining investments can be a source of great wealth to neighbouring local communities with the provision of employment and social programmes such as road improvements, the building of new classrooms for schools, medical clinics etc., it can also generate deep resentment in matters affecting the environment - mainly in the field of water management. As a rule mining operations consume vast quantities of water, often in areas where the supply is limited. Unfortunately, too, and despite sophisticated water treatment processes in many cases, contamination of surrounding land is often a cause of grave concern. None more so than when mining companies and alpaca farmers are forced to be unwilling neighbours. The Regions of Puno and Arequipa occupy first and second place as production centres for alpaca farming in Peru and, almost without exception, the farmers in these two regions are bordered by various mining concerns.
MINERA CHINDIN S.A.C. One very new player on the scene is Minera Chindin S.A.C., an exploratory mining company set up in 2010 and which is owned and managed by a Taiwanese family that has invested heavily in two sites in southern Peru. The company’s President, David Chen, is assisted in the business by his two sons, Martin and Antonio, and has established Arequipa as the centre of its operations. Dedicated to the search for copper, zinc and iron deposits, the company has one centre of exploratory excavations in Pocsi, which is situated on the outskirts of the city of Arequipa and another in Santa Lucia, Lampa in the Region of Puno. General Manager, Antonio Chen explained, “When we selected the two sites for our operations it was purely coincidental that they both had connections with alpaca farming. In the case of Pocsi, we learnt that the area used to farm alpacas some years ago though not any more. Santa Lucia, however, is at the heart of the Region ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 67
ALPACAS AND MINING of Puno’s alpaca farming activities and has been instrumental in focusing our attention to study the needs of our alpaca farming neighbours.”
A STRATEGIC BUSINESS MODEL FOR ALPACA FARMERS A generalistic view of the two protagonists is that, on the one hand, there is the wealthy mine and, on the other, the poor alpaca farmer. This being the starting platform, the onus is on the mine to conduct itself in a socially responsible manner in order to keep the peace. Usually, this is achieved by good works such as donations to the improvement of educational and medical facilities in the neighbouring community. For the alpaca farmer, his existence is one of attempting to overcome an economic trap of trying to earn his living from a natural resource that has been in decline for at least four decades in terms of the quality of its product. Specifically, an alpaca that is producing an inferior fibre quality that can only be sold at low prices does not provide its farmer with sufficient income to live nor to reinvest in his herd. This scenario gets progressively worse as each season passes. Countless studies conducted in Peru during many years have highlighted the importance of strengthening the country’s alpaca population with improved selection and genetic techniques
68 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
and the fibre processing industry has indicated that it is prepared to pay better prices for better quality fibre. The road to a better future has been clearly signposted but the investment required to bring this about has been sadly lacking. As a result, Peru’s alpaca farmers find themselves fighting a losing battle to survive whilst their mining neighbours have the luxury of being able to extract a product that never seems to be out of demand and commands ever stronger prices. In the case of Minera Chindin’s two sites, the company has embarked on a different approach that encompasses a strategy of partnership and opportunity for both parties:
A generalistic view of the two protagonists is that, on the one hand, there is the wealthy mine and, on the other, the poor alpaca farmer.
A) POCSI With the knowledge that the area historically farmed alpacas, an investigation was carried out to determine why this practice was abandoned and it was concluded that the area’s water table could only support pasture for the animals for half the year. In order to rectify this, Minera Chindin has re-routed natural water sources on its 1,600 hectares site to provide sufficient volume for its excavation requirements which are then purified and recycled to irrigate the current cultivation of grasses for alpacas. Shortly, and in partnership with members of the local community, particularly Alcides Nina who is a professor of the Inca culture and an expert in agricultural cooperative models, alpacas will be reintroduced to graze once more at Pocsi’s elevated pasturelands at 3,000 metres above sea level with the aim of producing first class fibre for the commercial benefit of the new partnership. Additionally, plans are underway to construct a state-of-the-art laboratory on-site to monitor the herd’s genetic markers so that optimum selection can be employed in breeding. The introduction of equipment for freezing embryos is under consideration as a means to reach other alpaca farmers within Peru as well as exporting to other countries such as the USA and Australia.
Lavender Park Tulley (DF)
British Alpaca Society National Show 2014 Huacaya Progeny Class Light Champion Heart of England Fiesta 2014 Sire’s Progeny Champion co-owned by:
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 69
ALPACAS AND MINING
Antonio Chen and Alcides Nina (Inca culture and agricultural expert) in Pocsi.
Alpacas will soon be reintroduced to graze once more at Pocsi’s elevated pasturelands, 3,000 metres above sea level.
B) SANTA LUCIA The community in Santa Lucia consists of some 500 inhabitants who farm around 4,000 alpacas and llamas on 6,500 hectares of land. The community’s leader is Pablo Salas who is also Puno’s Regional Coordinador of the Confederación Nacional de Comunidades Afectadas por la Minería (CONACAMI) - a body that possesses an anti-mining agenda. Working with an anti-mining activist of many years standing has prioritised the company’s goal of establishing a firm working relationship where environmentally friendly mining can co-habit with and benefit commercially the community’s alpaca farmers. As this site is presently more active in alpaca terms than Pocsi, the company is providing opportunities for the farmers to improve the quality of fibre through modifications in diet and breeding programmes and for their families to knit and export their alpaca finished products an activity traditionally associated with alpaca farming communities. Minera Chindin has a good working relationship with Wu Han Jia Yi Lin Trading Co. Ltd., a textile distribution company based in China. Its General Manager, Xu Li, has spent various months in Peru meeting with the alpaca fibre processing industry and Santa Lucia’s community knitters to advise on styles and designs for the Chinese market. Her idea is to use all the alpaca fibre produced on Minera Chindin’s two sites in both top and finished garment form and sell it in China as 70 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
a means to promote higher fibre quality and traditional hand-made garments directly from the alpaca farmers whilst at the same time supporting this new initiative. Any shortfall in supply will be sourced from other communities recommended by Santa Lucia.
FUTURE Antonio Chen summarises the advancement of the working partnership between his company and the neighbouring communities on both sites by comparing this new business model to that of the practices carried out during Peru’s Inca civilisation some 500 years ago. “Historically the Incas were great miners in Peru, extracting both gold and silver. They also farmed alpacas and llamas for textile and religious needs. They were successful in combining these activities and, at the same time, protecting the environment. This fact has been the benchmark for our strategy with our neighbouring communities.” “I believe that Minera Chindin’s initiatives have created commercial opportunities for its neighbouring alpaca farming communities that will generate income for them to become selfsufficient entrepreneurs for the years ahead. As a miner, I have found that I have now developed a new and personal interest in alpaca products, too ! Most importantly, our partnership has set the way forward for commercial growth based on environmental and cultural sustainability. This indeed is an excellent strategy for today’s world.”
Wu Han Jia Yi Lin Trading Co. Ltd’s General Manager, Xu Li (seated centre), with members of Pocsi’s community. Antonio Chen and Pablo Salas at Minera Chindin’s Santa Lucia site.
Telephone Colin Ottery for a friendly and professional service with competitive rates. 01884 38782 07773 440354 Email: alpaca2shear@yahoo.co.uk
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Perfect Gifts for Every Occasion, Everything Alpaca: Luxury British 100% alpaca knitting yarns Hand knitted ready-to-wear & bespoke garments Warm and colourful socks, hats, gloves, scarves Cuddly teddy bears, fluffy alpacas & soft toys Divine duvets, pillows and mattress toppers Throws, blankets, rugs, novelties and much more
www.TheAlpacaShop.co.uk +44 (0)1277 896565 or visit our Alpaca Farm & Shop Also: Alpacas for sale, stud services, experience days, courses, welfare support and advice
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Summer 2014 | 71
CAMROSA OINTMENT “We have been using Camrosa Ointment on our alpacas for over 4 years with great success and highly recommend it.” G. & B. Reed, Lightfoot Alpacas, Kent.
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Please contact us to discuss your ideas: we are very happy to talk 26/03/2013 16:35
Available for sale: Mothers with cria, pregnant females, open females, breeding males and starter herds. Also alpacas for pets and to guard lambs/chicken.
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72 | Summer 2014 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
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BREEDERS DIRECTORY
Alpaca World Magazine’s
BREEDERS DIRECTORY FRANCE
DEVON
Alpacas de la Grange Mynas Gillian Howard-Evieux, La Grange Mynas, La Glacière, Saint Chamond, France, 42400. Tel: +33 (0) 4 77 22 85 69. Email: howard-evieux@orange.fr. Web: www.alpaga-alpaca.com. In the heart of France (30 mins Lyon). Prize-winning alpacas for sale. On-farm and fly-by matings possible with top-class AlpacaStud males – all colours. Initiation and full after-sales support. English/French spoken. B&Bs, holiday flats available for your visit.
Classical MileEnd Alpacas Rachel Hebditch & Chas Brooke, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8NB. Tel: 01884 243579. Mob: 07970 415638. Email: rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk Website: www.alpaca-uk.co.uk Professional breeding farm with 18 years alpaca experience. Show winning herd sires with British, Australian and American genetics available for outside stud servicing. Wide selection of quality alpacas for sale as pets or breeding stock. We maintain rigorous management of on farm bio-security including full farm perimeter wildlife fencing. Excellent customer support and training with visitors welcome by appointment.
SPAIN Alpacaspain Jane Powell, La Dehesa, Gaucin 29480, Málaga, Spain. Tel: 00 34 951 168 007. Email: info@alpacaspain.com. Web: www.alpacaspain.com. In the south of Spain near the historic town of Ronda good quality alpacas for sale at sensible prices. Huacaya & suri - most colours. Good quality stud males. Visitors welcome. English & Spanish spoken.
UNITED KINGDOM BEDFORDSHIRE Rushmere Alpacas Jo Parker & Neil McAndrew, Little Cuppers, Rushmere, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 0DZ. Tel: 01515 237416. Fax: 01525 234068. Email: j.parker101@btinternet.com Website: www.rushmerealpacas.co.uk Quality herd on the Beds, Bucks and Herts border offering a superb service to new and experienced breeders. Pregnant/maiden females, stud and pet males. Free training and 24/7 support.
DORSET Alpha Alpacas Di Davies, Woodstock, Mapperton Lane, Melplash, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3UF. Tel: 01308 488661 or 07739 382483. Email: didavies@alpaca.fsnet.co.uk Web: www.alphaalpacas.com A small elite herd where fibre, biosecurity and support to our clients is paramount. Our herd, of all colours, have an outstanding show record. Sales, stud services and advice available. GLOUCESTERSHIRE Kensmyth Alpacas Helen Kendall Smith, Kensmyth Stud, Clay Meadow, Cirencester Road, Cirencester, Glocs. GL7 6HU. Tel: 01285 862020 / 07799 700587. Email: helen@kensmyth.com Web: www.kensmyth.com Family farm, central Cotswolds. A warm welcome, friendly advice. Free husbandry courses to clients new and existing. Elite bloodlines, fantastic fleeces, range of colours. Alpaca purchased here can be agisted.
Pure Alpacas Jay Holland, Torsend House, Main Road, Tirley, Glocs. GL19 4EU. Tel: 01452 780327 / 07789 257222. Email: jay@purealpacas.co.uk Web: www.purealpacas.co.uk A family-run herd of both huacaya and suri with a range for sale from pets and poultry guards to elite breeding stock, all backed by professional, unrivalled support and advice. Our herd sires, from renowned bloodlines, are all proven and available for outside services. We run a variety of courses which cater for all levels of experience. Snowshill Alpacas Roger Mount, Snowshill Hill Barn, Temple Guiting, Cheltenham, GL54 5XX. Tel: 01386 853841 / 07711 044106. Fax: 01386 854791. Email: roger.mount@btinternet.com Web: www.snowshillalpacas.com Breeders of prize winning Huacaya and Suri alpacas in Gloucestershire. We usually have alpacas for sale, from pet to show quality. Stud services available from a wide selection of proven sires. After sales support and advice. We also have fabrics for sale, all made from our own alpacas and spun, woven and finished in the UK. HAMPSHIRE Pennybridge Alpacas Joy & Peter, Pennybridge Farm, Greywell Road, Up Nately, Hook, Hants RG27 9PJ Tel: 01256 474978 / 07801 132757 Email: joy@pennybridgealpacas.co.uk Web: www.pennybridgealpacas.co.uk The Pennybridge Herd & Stud. Alpacas for sale. Most colours available, even the rare appaloosa. Quality starter herds, proven and potential stud males, stud services, pets and sheepguards. Free advice and after sales support provided. Watership Alpacas Keith Taylor, Greenacres, Thruxton Down, Andover, Hants SP11 8PR Tel: 01264 889206 Email: info@watershipalpacas.co.uk Web: www.watershipalpacas.co.uk Watership Alpacas invites you to visit and discover alpacas. We have all colours of BAS registered huacaya breeding females, young males, potential studs and pets for sale. Inexpensive stud services all with full support and guidance.
HERTFORDSHIRE Herts Alpacas Nigel and Katie Beckwith, Fairview Farm, Wyddial Road, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, SG9 9BS. Tel: 01763 271301 / 07802 433155 Email: beckwith904@aol.com Web: www.hertsalpacas.co.uk Award winning British Alpaca Futurity breeder. Over 80 quality alpacas for sale in all colours from world famous bloodlines. All our pregnant females are mated to the finest recognised and proven championship winning males. Stud services available, friendly halter trained pets and unbeatable after sales care. NORFOLK AzSu Alpacas Nikki Lenk, The Low Farm, Letton, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 7TB. Tel: 01362 820097. Mob: 07798 522178 Fax: 01362 821333 Email: nikki.lenk@azsualpacas.com Web: www.azsualpacas.com Norfolk’s largest breeder offers potential and existing owners a friendly and complete service. High quality studs; breeding females and wethers for sale; practical training; caring agistment; fleece conversion; sound advice on all aspects of these magical animals. Burnt Fen Alpacas Ann Nickerson, Garden Cottage, Burnt Fen, Horning, Norfolk, NR12 8LA. Tel: 01692 630553. Email: alpacas@burntfen.plus.com Web: www.burntfen.co.uk We are long established alpaca breeders and have developed a fantastic friendly herd bred from excellent pedigree stock. We sell quality breeding females through to gorgeous pet animals with genuine after sales support and processing advice for your fleeces.
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BREEDERS DIRECTORY NORTH YORKSHIRE
SUSSEX WEST
WARWICKSHIRE
YORKSHIRE
Fowberry Alpacas Graham and Jenny MacHarg, Crambe Grange, Barton Le Willows, York YO60 7PQ. Tel 01653 619520. Email: info@fowberry-alpacas.com Web: www.fowberry-alpacas.com Supreme Championship winning herd, including the overall Championship winning Huacaya Sire of the biggest show in Europe (2012). We offer super-fine genetics; correct conformation and happy healthy alpacas; knowledgeable advice and after-sales assistance; regular introductory and advanced courses; on-line shop and as importantly, our support to achieve your alpaca goals.
The Alpaca Stud Nick Harrington Smith and John Potts, Bowford Farm, Goose Green, Thakeham, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 2LP. Tel. 01903 891425 or 07979 651742. Email:info@alpacastuduk.com Web: www.alpacastuduk.com Home to 2 Huacaya Champion Futurity Herdsires, 2 Suri Champion Futurity Herdsires and 2 Junior Herdsires, we have high quality females, Proven & Junior Herdsires, and pet males for sale, available in all colours. And unbeatable breeding genetics available for drive by and mobile mating.
Toft Alpacas Rob & Shirley Bettinson, Toft Manor, Toft Lane, Dunchurch, Warwickshire, CV22 6NR. Tel: 01788 810626. Fax: 01788 522347 Email: shirley@toft-alpacas.co.uk Web: www.toft-alpacas.co.uk Alpaca Stud Farm, est 1997. Pedigree stock for sale in all colours. Superior stud services. Stud males for sale or lease. Pets for sale. Introductory and advanced husbandry workshops. Fleece and fibre workshops. 24/7 advice and support. Holiday cottage on farm. Luxury alpaca products online and on-farm shop.
Beacon Alpacas Jacki Barlow, Suncliffe Beacon Farm, Husthwaite, Yorks YO61 4PD. Tel: 01347 868879 or 07716 917315. Email: beacon.alpacas@yahoo.co.uk Web: www.beaconalpacas.com Females; Herd sires with winning Australian, British, Canadian, Chilean, Peruvian Huacaya genetics; pets with personality; Alpaca walks all available to buy or hire with our committed training and after sales service.
SOMERSET Tai Wind Alpaca Stud Lynn Pepper, Staffords-Mead Stables, Lower Rudge, Frome, Somerset, BA11 2QE. Tel: 07790 674334. Email: info@taiwindalpacas.co.uk Web: www.taiwindalpacas.co.uk Show quality black alpacas. Fast forward your genetics with our stud males. We have a selection of pregnant females and young stock for sale from our show herd. Import, export.
Book your space in the Alpaca World Breeders Directory now by telephoning Heidi Hardy on 01598 752799. An entry is priced at just ÂŁ35 to cover FOUR issues.
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Tel. James WA Graham 07624 462973 Email. jwag73@outlook.com Fax. 01624 878757
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