The charismatic alpaca is a wonderfully gentle, intelligent, and curious animal. The alpaca is a member of the Camelid family, which also includes the llama and the wild vicuna and guanaco. Native to the high Andes plateaus of Peru, Chile, and Bolivia, they have been imported to the U.S. since 1984. Ancient pictoglyphs in Peru dated at over 4,000 years old show herds of alpacas being tended by their Peruvian herders. Unlike the llama, which is used primarily as a pack animal, the alpaca is raised for its luxurious fine fiber. Alpaca fiber is soft yet durable and comes in a variety of colors; the worldwide market recognizes 22 natural colors of alpaca, from pure white through fawn, to a range of browns, and a true jet black. The alpaca itself is a small and endearing animal, weighing between 120 and 175 pounds. They adapt easily to the Great Lakes area climate and require considerably less space and feed than horses or cattle. Their diet consists largely of pasture, and/or hay, and fresh water. Alpaca ownership is full of rewards and advantages. Alpacas are a great investment Alpacas are valuable and demand exceeds supply worldwide. Alpacas can be insured and depreciated. All farming expenses can be written off on taxes. Alpaca breeding allows for tax deferred wealth building. Alpacas are easy to handle and raise Alpacas are gentle, intelligent, and easy to handle. Alpacas do not bite, spit, charge, or stampede. They are safe around even the smallest of children. They are social animals who communicate using a combination of body position and a gentle humming. Alpacas are earth friendly The alpaca's feet are padded and leave even the most delicate terrain undamaged as it browses on native grasses. The alpaca is a ruminant with three stomachs. It converts grass and hay to energy very efficiently, eating less than other farm animals. (10 alpacas consume about as much as 1 cow.) Its camelid ancestry allows the alpaca to thrive without consuming very much water. The alpaca does not usually eat or destroy trees, preferring tender grasses. A herd of alpacas consolidates its feces in one or two spots in the pasture, thereby controlling the spread of parasites, and making it easy to collect and compost for fertilizer. Alpaca fiber is naturally beautiful and valuable Alpaca is found naturally in 22 distinct colors. The fiber can also be blended to produce an infinite array of natural colors. The fiber from alpaca is unusually strong and resilient. Raised at high altitudes in freezing cold, the alpaca has developed more thermal capacity in its fiber than almost any other animal. The fiber contains microscopic air pockets that create lightweight garments with high insulation values. Alpaca has a natural, rich luster that gives garments made from 100% Alpaca high visual appeal. Alpaca is easily dyed any color and always retains its natural luster. An alpaca will produce enough fleece each year to create six or eight soft, warm sweaters. Alpaca fleece produces a high yield of clean fiber after processing: 87 to 95 percent for Alpaca versus 43 to 76 percent for sheep's wool. Alpaca is easier and less expensive to process than sheep's wool due to its lack of grease or lanolin, and Alpaca does not have to be de-haired like cashmere or camel. Alpaca can be scoured or cleaned without using chemicals. Alpaca fiber is a natural fine and soft product that has more than 17 natural colors in blacks, whites and browns. Those who wear Alpaca garments choose them because of their thermo qualities and the resistant fiber as well as some other attributes as their impermeability and non-flamable. These and many other reasons turn the Alpaca garments into tempting, elegant and lasting products that are difficult to forget and give you a sensation of being closer to nature. The characteristics of this fiber are the results of a very long acclimatization process to the Andean environment where these animals are found. More about FiberThe temperature in the Andes, at 4,500 meters above sea level, is extremely changeable: from 18 to 20 centigrade degrees below zero, during the night; the temperature can reach 15 to 18 degrees above zero in the morning. The solar radiation intensity, the rarefied atmosphere and the icy cold wind are also some of the difficult conditions that prevail in these high places. To survive in this rough environment, the South American Camelid is provided with a very special protection. Throughout the centuries, these species have developed a very fine and light fleece; it does not retain water and can resist the solar radiation effectively. These characteristics guarantee the animals a permanent and appropriate coat to fight against the extreme changes of temperature. The Alpaca fiber contains also microscopic airbags that make possible the manufacture of light textiles as well as different kinds of clothing The combing and carding systems help also get high quality products such as thermal blankets and fresh fine flannels. This fiber has many other application in the industry market, such as yarns shawls, sweaters, coats, tapestry, scarves, bags, rough ropes, carpets and others. The fiber production is to be found mainly in South America, Peru being the most important producer. Alpaca production per year is estimated to be around 4,000 tons and the production of Llama reaches approximately 600 tons. Because of the little number of Vicuņas, living in the Andes, this animal fiber gets just 3 tons per year. The South American Camelid are grouped in four species: two of them, Vicuna and the Guanaco remain in a wild condition and are protected; whereas the Llama and the Alpaca have been slowly domesticated during a very long period that took place throughout 10,000 years. These species are mainly found in the Andes, particularly in the Meseta del Collao near lake Titicaca in Puno. Since they are domestic beasts, the Llamas and the Alpacas are part of herds of different sizes and belong to the shepherds whose native environment is the same one as their herds. The Andean shepherd has developed a traditional breeding system and the knowledge is transmits from father to son. The people living in the Andes employ these species to their advantage: they shear the Alpacas and use their fine fleece for spinning and knitting their clothing and some other products. The animal's meat is basically their only protein source. Alpaca meat is rich in proteins, and low in fat. Is has the lowest cholesterol content 0.16% of all kinds of meat and is highly recommended as part of a healthy diet. There are two different kinds of Llamas: the K'ara or "light wool" one that is used as a beast of burden and the Ch'aku "heavy wool" one that provides the fleece for the manufacture of carpets, ropes, hats, bags, and several other products. More about Vicuņa Likewise, there are also two different kinds of Alpaca: the Suri and the Huacaya, being both quite different from each other. Because of the very delicate forms of the Alpaca Suri, this animal seems to be less able to endure the toughness of the Andean environment while the Huacaya seems to be better prepared for the desolate conditions of the Andean Cordillera. The Suri has a long, fine and lustrous fiber that almost touches the ground, whereas the Huacaya shows a more spongy and curly fiber. The Suri fiber has called "Alpaca Suri" and the Huacaya "Alpaca Fleece". The Alpaca has just one kind of fleece and can be used immediately without the unbristled requirement that avoids the uncomfortable "itching" when used directly on the skin. The Vicuņa, the Guanaco and the Llama have two kinds of fiber; the fine fibers are mingled with bristles or fibers of a wider diameter that can reach 50 microns. In such cases, it is absolutely necessary to unbristle to get high quality garments.
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