YWCA CAMP CAVELL NEWS

ALPACAS AT CAMP!

Two new members of the Camp Cavell Family arrive at camp!

Meet Carlo and Tulio! 

Tulio (too-lee-o) is a male born on January 22, 2002 and is mostly white with a brown streak on his side.  He is a Suri Alpaca so he has long hair that hangs down with spiral curls.  He weighed 25.4 pounds when he was born and was weaned from his mother by July.

Carlo was born on May 2, 2001.  His full name is Carlo de Altiplano.  He is a Huacya Alpaca so he is like a fuzzy bear and has a  medium brown .

They came to us from the Gormek Alpacas Farm in Yale, Michigan.  After an orientation on diet, health, care, and special handling we loaded them into the camp van and headed home.  At first they settled right in for the ride.  They laid down and hummed to one another.  They sounded something like kazoos.  They hummed back and forth to each other and then were quiet. 

About half way home in our 30 mile trip Tulio got upset and go up walking around stepping over Carlo humming even more along the way.  He looked like he might be car sick, but he finally laid down again and we made it home ok.  Carlo was a bit perturbed at Tulio for going on so, but they seem to be best of buddies again when they made it to their pen.

Once home they jumped right out of the van and we led them to the pen.  We took off their halters and they settled in well.  They will live in Elmer's dog yard (since he refuses to use it anyway) for the winter and then probably move to camp in the spring.

Dan and Felice Gromek who run the farm shared this information with us.

Alpacas were a cherished treasure of the ancient Incan civilization in the high Andean plateau's and mountains of South America.  They have been domesticated for over 5,000 years.  Alpacas produce one of the world's finest and most luxurious fibers for spinning.  It is as soft as cashmere and warmer, lighter and stronger then wool and comes in more colors then
any other fiber producing animal.  It's fur was once reserved for Incan royalty. 

They are clean, safe, quiet, intelligent and disease resistant.  Alpacas soft padded feet are gentle on the land and can be easily transported in the family van.  They are virtually odorless animals.  Although they make great pets, many people are raising them for the income they can provide.

They will weight up to 150 pounds when they are full grown and be only about 4-5 feet tall.  There are two types of alpacas, and we have one of each, the Huacaya and the Suri.  The life span of the alpaca is about 20 years.  They eat a surprisingly small amount of grasses and grain.  They can be trained to walk with you on a lead and even compete in shows and competitions.

Most of all they are just plain loveable!

For more information you can visit Dan & Felice's website at
www.gromekalpacas.com or call 1-810-387-4450.

We will keep you posted on how Tulio and Carlo are doing!

Jill & Tom

They will be munching away waiting for you to come this spring!