Quackrstackr said:
There are some local folks that have a herd of camels as well. That's what you should be going for. Bigger is always better and you can rent them out at Christmas to the area living nativity scenes. :mrgreen:
Not to mention rentals if global warming turns your area into a desert. I think I read once that there had been an effort (maybe by the U.S.Army) to use camels in the American Southwest instead of horses. I can't believe there aren't any running around there somewhere.
One reason to keep alpaca is their fleece (wool) is used to make yarn. It makes high-grade, warm wool that is softer than sheep's wool.
This is from Wikipedia:
Alpaca
Conservation status: Domesticated
Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genus: Vicugna
Species: V. pacos
Binomial name
Vicugna pacos
Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in appearance.
Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3,500 m (11,500 ft) to 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea-level, throughout the year.[1] Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike llamas, alpacas were not bred to be beasts of burden but were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, much as wool is. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks, coats and bedding in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 16 as classified in the United States.[2]
In the textile industry, "alpaca" primarily refers to the hair of Peruvian alpacas, but more broadly it refers to a style of fabric originally made from alpaca hair but now often made from similar fibers, such as mohair, Icelandic sheep wool, or even high-quality English wool. In trade, distinctions are made between alpacas and the several styles of mohair and luster.