Berserk or Aberrant Behavior Syndrome
What Are We Talking About?

By Cathy Spalding
www.gentlespiritllamas.com

Page 1

I first recall hearing about a behavior called the Berserk Male Syndrome back in the early 1980’s. Paul Taylor, of Taylor Llamas, used the term/description in an article he wrote about training llamas. Over time, the term “berserk” came to be used rather freely to describe llamas or alpacas that deviate from the expected behavioral norm. More recently, the description of Aberrant Behavior Syndrome (ABS) was coined. Any animal handed this label does, indeed, seem a bit rogue but it is felt they are not any where near berserk. To label them as berserk would be extreme. In fact, there are folks who question if there is actually any llama or alpaca that has truly become berserk placing emphasis on the fact that they have been able to handle and re-train any they have thus far encountered. It seems possible that berserk and aberrant behavior is not the same thing. Berserk is defined as “destructively or frenetically violent.” Aberrant is “deviating from the proper or expected course.” While berserk would surely include aberrant behavior, one exhibiting aberrant behavior would not necessarily be berserk.

Truly Dangerous Behavior

Alpaca and llama behavior that deviates from the norm can be measured in degrees. For the sake of discussion, we might imagine a scale of 1 to 10. Normal and usual behavior would begin at 1 increasing in levels of deviation to arrive finally at the ultimate (berserk) level of 10. Any particular ABS animal falls somewhere between 2 and 9. As the deviance becomes higher, the success rate in our ability to reform behaviors tends to lessen. Many ABS animals can be re-trained in the hands of a skilled trainer. Most often, these animals are simply not disciplined, are poorly trained or not trained at all, spoiled and do not understand or respect boundaries. Depending upon the level of inappropriate behavior, some have been re-trained well enough that they become fairly trustworthy in their behavior. A true berserk is another story altogether. They are quite dangerous and seem miserable. They will charge at humans from far across a field. They will pace fence lines, attack, rear up, scream, spit, bite, stomp, body slam and lay on top of you with a seeming clear intent to eliminate you. This behavior is at the end of the scale and to my knowledge; though very skilled trainers have tried, no true berserk has ever been successfully rehabilitated.

While I receive an incredible number of similar calls each year from concerned owners who feel they have an aggressive animal, I have yet to receive a call from someone who describes behavior that would appear truly berserk. Does that mean it does not and they do not exist? No, but it does emphasize that it seems quite rare. There are several breeders who have encountered that rare berserk male over the past 25+ years. Some were kept in strong confines wearing a shock collar but most were euthanized.

Even More Rare Would Seem The Berserk Female

We received a call from our neighbor who is a veterinarian. It happened that his advertisement in our local yellow pages mentioned “exotic animals.” He’d received a call from an owner who wanted to sell his female llama but knew no one who owned llamas. We went out to take a look and wow… she was a big girl -- sturdy and gorgeous. The owner mentioned that he had been unable to breed her; she spit and “ she didn’t seem to like men.” We accompanied him into her pasture but didn’t notice any signs of aggression. In fact, she seemed totally unimpressed with our presence. We worked out the details for purchase and brought her home. She seemed healthy and very well behaved. We were becoming quite comfortable with one another and she was getting “the lay of the land.”

On about the 5th day, I was out cleaning paddocks and stopped to hold one of our cats. Madame Currie approached seeming quite curious about the cat. Suddenly, without warning, her eyes rolled back as she reared up on her hind legs and began screaming. I dropped the cat as she side slammed me. For whatever reason, I felt to immediately move to her withers. Though she earnestly tried, she was unable to bite nor seriously slam me in that positioning. We danced around feverishly. If I would slip, she would rear up in an attempt to come crashing down on me all the while drooling, screeching, and screaming. It was not possible for me to escape. I did not have the slightest moment to undo a gate latch without being seriously injured. I began loudly screaming myself… calling for help. Hearing my screams, my husband raced out only to halt at the gate in total disbelief. He wasn’t going in there! As I danced and danced with Madame Currie in circle after circle, he and I yelled back and forth forming a plan. With each circle, I would do my best to move a bit closer to the gate. He would have it unlatched and when the moment could happen, I would slip through and he would slam the gate shut. It worked but the metal gate was heavily damaged as Madame Currie continued to smash and slam into it. We had never seen anything like that before – nor have we since. In fact, it appears most llama and alpaca owners have never truly witnessed anything quite like this.

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