Starting Alpaca and Llama Crias

Page 2

A Simple Yet Important Realization

Fortunately, everything began to change when we were struck by this simple realization: Every time we are with our alpacas and llamas, we are training. I certainly understood the concept of a "formal training session" versus the day-to-day routines and thought I could easily justify the difference. I came to realize, however, the lamas did not compartmentalize my various behaviors into "casual" and "formal". They based their beliefs and interactions with me on the whole of their experience. I could not behave one way during our "free time" and another way during "formal training". It became obvious that I must be consistent in all my interactions... all the time.

Great... now what? It seemed clear the lamas were going to remain themselves. No matter how I chose to explain the foregoing, their notions about me and all two-legged's would continue to be based on the whole of their experience with us. If there was to be change, it was up to us. Okay, we had to change... but what? As we began a review of our behavior from the moments of an impending birth forward, we found everything we did was interconnected with something else we were doing. And, it seemed few of our actions and interactions were truly consistent with one another let alone with our goal of building an interactive and trusting relationship. We would "help" during the birth of the baby... warranted or not. We would carry the baby with mom humming frantically behind to a stall so they could bond. Obviously, we had understood this arrangement to be for the purpose of eliminating the confusion as to who was mom. Upon reflection, perhaps the baby may experience some initial confusion but what mother had ever been so confused? In closely watching our herd behavior, it was a marvel to note the only verbal expressions uttered after a baby "hits the ground" were those expressed by the new mom and her baby. The rest of the herd would normally remain silent. After securing them alone together in a stall, we'd "help" the baby stand, try to "help" it begin nursing... and to keep everyone from moving about. It was suggested to halter up mom and even tie her so as to make this all a bit easier. For who?

Completely changing how we handled our lamas took a good bit of discipline on our part and quite some time for the lamas to really trust we had actually changed. We set up catch pens and stopped grabbing them around the neck. I thought maybe this "arms length distance thing" they had always maintained in our presence was genetic. Nope. They had consciously kept that distance when a human was near just in case one of those human arms might suddenly act out. We began letting them birth their own babies intervening "only if assistance was warranted". We discovered if our help was NOT really needed, they were NOT happy about our trying to help, often moving away, wheeling about or spitting. Amazingly, if they were truly in distress and in need of assistance, they held still and appeared most willing to accept our advances. Just just paying attention eliminated our bonding concerns. Though a number of lamas would rush in to welcome and inspect the new baby, none of them uttered a sound. The only voices to be heard were that of mom and baby. We realized they usually knew who was who without our telling them! We now leave them together with their herd mates. In inclement weather, we do herd them under shelter, but allow access to other lamas as well. We have yet to witness an occasion wherein they do not really know who is who.

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