What Llamas Are Used For..........
Llamas have been raised in South America for centuries as pack animals who were also used for fiber and meat. To be good pack animals, llamas need to be calm, trusting and work well with people. These traits were bred into llamas and are still present today. There is enormous variety in the use of llamas for packing. Llamas may be used for short hikes/walks with their owners or they may be fully loaded traveling across mountains on a week-long outing.
The packing ability of llamas combined with their ease of transport enables them to be utilized in a wide variety of situations. Some owners take their llamas on short day hikes at local parks and trails. There are Bed and Breakfasts which have llamas for their guests to enjoy. Some even take guests on day hikes with llamas who carry a gourmet lunch for everyone. Pack llamas accompany more serious hikers on longer overnight trips and carry most or all of the gear. Hunters and fishers use llamas to carry equipment into and game out of the back country. Some park rangers use llamas to carry their equipment and supplies while they perform trail maintenance. Those who use llamas are thankful for the quiet companionship provided by a team member who will carry all the gear without complaining. People who have packed with llamas will often not do it any other way again.
There are many advantages to using llamas over other types of pack animals. Llamas do not have hooves. They have two-toed padded feet with a toenail which grows over the top of each toe feet Care. This makes them very sure-footed. The pads do much less damage to the environment because they do not tear into and dent the ground the way hooves can. Llamas are browsers, not grazers, and can eat various plants while moving along the trail. This means less time required to stop and graze. Llamas also require less feed for the same time than other pack animals. This means that less weight in the packs is devoted to llama feed. Llamas will go to the bathroom in potty piles and rarely go along the trail while they are moving. This leaves more area undisturbed and provides easier clean-up for the hikers. Hikers can also keep their pack animals from going to the bathroom too close to water sources. This will minimize any fecal contamination of the water. Llamas are more maneuverable and smaller than other pack animals and they can go through/over/under/into almost any area that people can. This is not true of other pack animals and gives llamas a tremendous advantage for hikers, hunters and park rangers.
Llamas enjoying the view on the way to Sidle horn in the Grimes region of Switzerland. Photo courtesy of Tom Worsen of Heitern, Switzerland.
The amount of weight which llamas can carry depends upon their age, condition, the terrain and distance to be traveled. Younger animals which are still growing should carry less weight to avoid creating orthopedic problems later in life. Just like people, llamas need to get into shape before going on long hikes with a lot of weight. Llamas packing over more difficult terrain should carry less weight than when on less difficult terrain.
Based on age, llamas can carry a certain percentage of their lean body weight. You must estimate their body condition before determining if the actual weight of the llama is a good estimate of lean body weight. An overweight llama will not be able to safely carry as much weight as one in good body condition. A one year old llama will be about 125 to 200 pounds. A 2-3 year old llama will be about 175 to 300 pounds. An adult llama will be about 225 to 450 pounds if not overweight.
The Amount Llamas Can Carry
Age Percent of Body Weight
1 year 10%
2 to 3 years up to 20%
Adult 20 to 30%. It is critically important to weigh your llamas and your packs so that the llamas are not overloaded. You also would not want to loose out on any carrying capacity your llama(s) might have.
The disadvantages to using llamas as pack animals is that only small children can ride them along the trail. An adult’s weight is more than they can carry. Even though they carry about the same percentage of their body weight, llamas are physically smaller than other pack animals and carry less weight per animal than larger pack animals. This can be overcome by bringing more than one llama. Llamas can be easily trained to pack in a string with one tied to the pack of another. It still only takes one person to handle all the llamas.
An active show circuit is rapidly developing in the llama industry. Most shows are sanctioned by ALSA (Alpaca and Llama Show Association), a national camelid show organization which writes the rules and certifies the judges. They can provide a handbook of all the official rules for llama and alpaca shows.
There are two main types of classes at a llama show, halter classes and performance classes. Halter classes include showmanship, conformation and production classes. Showmanship classes are divided by the age of the handler. The judge evaluates the handler’s ability to show the llama to his or her best. The llama is not evaluated by the judge in showmanship classes. Conformation classes are divided by the age and wool coverage (heavy, medium or light wool) of the llama. The judge evaluates the physical characteristics of the llama relative to the other llamas or alpacas in the class. Alpacas are evaluated on their physical characteristics and their wool quality. Production classes evaluate how well a breeding llama is producing. Llamas with the same mother and different fathers are shown together and vice verse. The judge is looking for consistency between animals as well as good conformation
Performance classes evaluate the llama’s level of training and their overall rapport with the handler. The temperament of the llama has an important role in success in performance classes. The llamas are given a numerical score for each obstacle and the highest total score wins the class. Performance classes include obstacle, packing, public relations and cart driving classes.
Performance classes contain a series of obstacles which the llama and handler negotiate. Obstacle classes are meant to simulate situations found on a trail. These obstacles can include jumps, water, a pile of branches, objects to weave around, ramps, teeter-totters, bridges, tunnels, backing up and whatever else the course designer dreams up. Packing classes are very similar to obstacle classes, but the llama is required to carry a pack. Pack obstacles include putting on or removing the pack, picking up a foot and carrying a noisy bag of garbage (usually aluminum cans).
Public relations or PR classes contain obstacles similar to what is encountered by llamas doing PR work. The PR obstacles can include people petting the llama, stairs, loud noises, fans with streamers, balloons, umbrellas, people in wheelchairs and getting into and out of trailers. Cart driving classes have a single llama pulling a cart in different directions and speeds. The judge evaluates how well the llama responds to directions from the driver, the safety of the cart, the fit of the harness and the driver’s attire.
4-H Clubs provide a wide variety of activities for interested children. 4-H provides a chance to learn many new things from leaders, other members and the completion of projects. Llama projects are one of the more recent additions to the 4-H world.
Some kids own their own llamas or their family already owns and breeds llamas, but it is not a requirement. Many dedicated llama breeders donate llamas to 4-H groups or invite 4-Hers to their farm to borrow llamas. Borrowing llamas works very well for both 4-Hers and llama owners. Larger farms get their young llamas trained much better than they would otherwise and the kids get a llama to train and show for the year. It is absolutely a win-win situation.
Llamas are a wonderful choice for parents and children who want to train and show livestock without having to send the animals to slaughter. Llamas and children have a natural affinity for one another and work wonderfully together. Llamas will often cooperate with and do things for children that they would not do for adults. Kids learn to feed, halter train, performance train, groom and show llamas. They may even learn to manage a breeding program, deal with birthing and weaning, manage males and make sales decisions.
Llamas and 4-H also teach kids many intangible lessons. Children learn things like caring, gentleness with animals, better communication skills with people and animals, a sense of accomplishment, pride in their work and how to create goals for themselves.
Llamas truly demonstrate their working ability with cart driving. Llamas can be trained to pull carts alone, in a pair or in a team of a few or even dozens of llamas. A pony cart can be used with a harness designed for a llama, but there are now carts designed to suit llamas.
Some of these carts cannot be purchased unless you have participated in a day long training clinic. These clinics teach you and your llama(s) how to put on all the equipment, hook up the cart, use the proper technique and commands and provides tips on how to continue training your llama(s). The clinics are also useful because a cart trained llama will be paired up with an untrained llama which accelerates the learning process and makes the experience less nerve wracking since there is another llama who thinks it is no big deal.
They can be trained for pleasure driving or obstacle driving or both. Pleasure driving classes at llama shows evaluate the ability of llama(s) and driver to stop, change speeds, change directions, turn and back. Obstacle driving classes evaluate the ability of the llama(s) and driver to go over, around and through obstacles either forwards or backwards. It is a challenging class and is lots of fun to watch.
The two main predators of llamas in South America are the puma and a coyote-like animal. This makes llamas naturally wary of these types of animals. People have utilized this natural and instinctive behavior by using llamas as guard animals against primarily Canine (the dog family). They are used all over the country to protect sheep from dogs, coyotes and other predators. The llama has specific guarding behaviors used to keep predators at bay. For many sheep ranchers guard animals are a more successful and a more humane alternative to predator control than trapping, shooting or poisoning coyotes. Llamas have also been used to guard ducks, geese, deer and cattle.
For sheep, the optimal guard animal would be effective, economical, quickly acclimate and form attachments to the sheep, eat the same food as the sheep, get the same vaccines and live for many years. Llamas suit these ideal characteristics better than any other guard animal. Other guard animals like dogs and donkeys do not meet these requirements quite as well. Llamas adjust to the sheep within hours to weeks, graze the same pasture, eat the same grain, get the same vaccines, can be used for 10 to 15 years and are effective guard animals. Llamas require more of an initial investment than dogs, but actually end up costing less per year of use than dogs. It takes less time to find out if the llama will actually work as a guard animal and there is a higher rate of success than with dogs. There are a few farms which test the guarding ability of llamas and sell them as guaranteed guard animals. Llamas are useful guard animals for almost twice as long as most dogs. Dogs require more acclimation time, different food and vaccines than the sheep, and are only useful for 3 to 4 years.
A single llama with a flock of sheep is the most effective situation. There has been a documented decrease in sheep losses when a llama guard is present. Single llamas can be used for flocks as large as 2,000 sheep or as small as just a few. Multiple llamas used with a single flock will not be as effective as a single llama in preventing losses. The llamas tend to group together separately from the sheep when there is more than one which decreases their guarding effectiveness.
There are programs which some breeders have developed to test the guarding ability of llamas based on a set of behavioral criteria and actual observation of the llama with sheep. Some llamas will guard better than others and this is a way of ensuring guarding ability in llamas. This should help sheep ranchers be more willing to make the initial investment of $500 to $1200 necessary to obtain a guard llama for their flock.
Llamas are very curious animals and can easily be trained to calmly accept large crowds. If they are raised properly, llamas can be very affectionate, friendly, outgoing and tolerant. This makes them wonderful additions to parades and parties of all sorts. These llamas will stand patiently while strangers surround them and touch them all over. They are also trained to have their feet picked up so people can see these unique structures. It is a great chance for the public to get a chance to meet and learn about a type of animal they might never have otherwise.
Llamas can be dressed up in costumes of all kinds to suit the needs of any type of parade. Some llamas will even tolerate costumes which cover their head and legs (their most sensitive areas). Llamas can combine their other talents with the parade and will carry packs, pull carts and/or visit with the crowd along the way. People love to see llamas and they make a special, unique addition to any parade.
Some llama owners have started businesses where they travel with llama(s) to parties. Often these llamas are fitted with pony saddles and can give rides to small (less than 80 pounds) children. This is simply an extension of their packing ability. In this case, the packs just happen to be children.