Feeling The Loss

Page 2

As is the case with us humans, each llama also demonstrated their concern and involvement in this process of life in their own way, at their own level.

Some were more demonstrative than others but those closest to the loss were visibly involved in that loss.

Jenny

I had a mom, Jenny, who had carried her baby full term… a gorgeous little jet-black female sporting white points. Sadly, in the very early morning hours of her birth, something went wrong. Out came a mangled placenta then her baby… dead. Jenny mourned that loss, remaining kushed by her dead baby’s side leaving that place only to relieve herself at the poop pile. At last, by dusk she finally decided to come in to eat. Shortly, she returned to her dead baby’s side for the rest of the night. Others of the herd had come by throughout the day sniffing the baby, occasionally humming and some kushed for a time next to Jenny. By next morning’s light, Jenny was up and again together as a part of the herd grazing far off from the body of her baby. We knew it was now time to bury her daughter.

Diamond Lil

My old gal Diamond Lil went into the death arch one sunny afternoon with renal failure. She had a 4-month-old little boy at her side at the time. As she lay in an open three-sided stall, there appeared no hope for her recovery. Euthanization was strongly advised. Her son was beside himself…he raced back and forth between herd members and his mother all the while humming in high pitched distress. As members of the herd began to approach the stall, he stretched himself tall. With determination and pronounced authority, he stood guard at the open end of the stall allowing only one llama in at a time and fiercely challenging any other who would violate his apparent rule. He made distinctions as to which he would allow to enter while quite literally chasing others away. At only 4 months old, he had clearly taken charge. It was his mom and the herd abided by his actions. Unbelievably, his mother survived and at 24 years of age with “bad kidneys” is, at this very moment, kushed with the rest chewing her cud!

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