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Atchison woman raises alpacas
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP)--What's smaller than a llama, bigger than a sheep, and spits like a camel? It's an alpaca, and Diane Howard, owner of Serenity Hill Farm Alpacas near Effingham, Kan., knows all about them. Howard, a retired banker, started raising alpacas two years ago and said she fell in love with the animals. "It was always a dream of my husband's and mine," she said. "I like the peace. It is very serene out here. It's nice after 30 years of banking." "I like the animals," she added. "Even scooping the poop." Howard said she grew out of the fast pace of the city, having come from the Kansas City area, and knew she wanted to move to a rural area and raise livestock of some kind upon retirement. She looked into other typical kinds of livestock, such as sheep, but decided to become an alpaca farmer after visiting other Kansas alpaca farms, where the animals won her over. She said their eyes, which are large, beautiful and human-like, are what made her fall for them. Her dream took shape two years ago with five alpacas, and now she owns 12 alpacas and two guard llamas, and she borders other people's alpacas, as well. "When I first started this, I didn't think I'd grow this fast," she said. The guard llamas, one male and one female, live among the alpacas and serve to ward away coyotes and other predators. Howard said they make good guards because they are naturally more inquisitive than alpacas, meaning they will go right up to a coyote, which will usually scare it off. The alpacas themselves are pretty low-maintenance, Howard said. Native to Peru, alpacas are susceptible to fewer diseases than other livestock--another reason Howard was drawn to them. The animals are very social, Howard said. They are communicative among themselves, using a humming sound, clicking and spitting to send messages. Howard also said she's seen them have what appear to be contests to see who can stretch their necks out to be tallest. "They're just like people," she said. "They have different hygiene habits and personalities." As Howard walks through her alpaca pasture, she can identify each alpaca by name and personality. Sophie is a loner, Rhea knows she's the "grande dame," and Catalina is the aunt among the females, taking care of the mothers who've just given birth and playing with the young, called crias. Right now, the females' pen is a bit thick with tension, with the animals getting cranky, Howard said, as a result of four of them being pregnant. Recently, one of Howard's borders gave birth, and she said in the next two weeks, she's expecting all four of her pregnant alpacas to give birth. "The crias are what most of us in the business are in the business for--watching them birth and then grow," she said. The animals can also be affectionate toward humans. Some people even keep them for pets. Howard said one alpaca, called Tinman--one of several named after "Wizard of Oz" characters--will often come up to her and give her a "kiss." Additionally, she said the animals seem to understand to be careful around her 2-year-old grandson. Howard raises her alpacas both to shear their fur and to breed them. She said the alpaca industry is looking for growth in North America, which she said comes from educating people about the animals and their fibers. Date: 10/24/07
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