A KEY TOWARDS RESOLUTION MAY LITERALLY... "Hang in the Balance"

Page 3

Viewing this llama from a different angle, we can now notice a number of facial cues in concert with her out of balance body position. She has tightened her facial muscles causing an overall appearance of tension and tightness in her face. Her lower lip is significantly pulled back. The nostrils are somewhat flattened suggesting an irregular breathing pattern. Her eyes appear dull suggesting possible notions of worry, concern or distress. Taking these many cues into consideration - both in her presentation and in her immediate environment -- it seems clear that this little llama may not be feeling well and requires further investigation.

This female would certainly seem kushed out of balance. None of her legs appear to be squarely or comfortably beneath her. The bulk of her body appears slightly rolled to the right and her neck does not rise from her shoulders in a normally balanced manner. However, the cues in her mental and emotional presentation do not follow her body presentation.

Though she certainly presents out of balance, the bulk of her body is just slightly rolled to the side. She shows clarity and alertness in her facial expressions. Her eyes are bright and clear with ears forward and alert. She is quite interested in her surroundings. Though she would seem to be seriously expressing herself in relation to something happening out beyond her, her face does not appear particularly tensed or tightened. Her facial expressions are clearly in response to external stimuli as opposed to internal stimuli. In this instance, her body balance and mental/emotional balance differ from one another. Her body appears out of balance while her mental/emotional stance would appear balanced. The cues in this instance point to a very healthy llama. One who is balanced emotionally, mentally and as best as she is able, physically. She is very soon to give birth to a new cria.

Body balance in all of us reflects our mental, emotional and physical state. For each of the alpacas and llamas presented, their body balance in the kushed position combined with other presenting mental, emotional and physical cues provide a strong basis for how they might be feeling. It is important to consider how each noted cue presents in concert with one another as well as any positioning cues in the environment in our overall assessment regarding the healthy balance of our alpacas and llamas.

Previous page....1   2  3

Every picture tells a story.
Unknown

Return to top of page