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Can You Walk an Alpaca?

06th May 2020

Can you walk an Alpaca?

Short answer… YES!

Let’s face it, Alpaca’s have stolen hearts world wide over the last few years. From Chewy the alpaca to alpaca cafes these fluffy creatures are on their way up.

Originally from West-Central South America, Alpacas are part of the camelid family and very closely related to the Llama. There are no wild Alpacas in the world but they have a wild relative are descended from the Vicuna and Guanaco is a Llama’s wild ancestor from over 6000 years ago! The fluffy Alpacas you see in herds around the world today are very much domesticated.

The Alpaca was developed first and foremost for their fleece, which is a story for another time. However, these animals make for great pets small or large scale. Walking with these animals has become very popular and is a great way to get up close and personal to these gorgeous creatures.

Alpacas are walked on a halter and best trained from a young age. The nature of Alpacas is gentle and curious, making walking with Alpacas enjoyable and entertaining. Standing at about one metre high and roughly between 60-80kg, handling these animals is great way for their owners to conduct health checks and for shearing time, which makes them perfect company for a walk.

Our top tip for walking Alpacas;

Become part of the herd! Alpacas are pack animals and will very rarely spend time on their own, They travel as a group, eat as a group and even go to the toilet as a group so becoming part of the herd when you are walking is perfect.You will often hear the Alpacas talking to each other, they hum. So talk back and encourage them. Yes Alpacas hum BTW!

Their good nature and behaviour when handled means Alpacas have also become very popular as therapy animals. There are many charities that offer life changing counselling through the power of Alpaca and it is because of the nature of these animals that this is possible.

When you first meet an alpaca on a walking experience, its like any new relationship, it takes some time to get to know each other. Alpacas are hugely intuitive and can sense nerves and fear so it’s important to introduce yourself with positively and authority to put your alpaca at ease. Don’t forget much like us, every individual is different, they have their quirks so be patient. We’d also recommend that you choose and experience that is at least 40mins so that you can reap the rewards of your new found bond at the end of your walk.

With this adventure becoming so popular, it is no surprise that there are quite a few locations around the UK you can have this experience. Each location offering you a different, unique experience so make sure you read up on your chosen walking experience to make sure its the right walk for you

We hope this gives to a little insight into Alpaca walking. Check out pictures or visit us on Instagram where you can follow our Alpacas and see what our experience has to offer, and of course if you have any further interest do not hesitate to drop us an email in the contact section of our website.

If you are visiting, or lucky enough to live here on the South Coast, Our Back Garden Alpaca walking experiences are a short drive form National Parks and Historic towns in West Sussex and on the border of Hampshire.

Head over to the Alpaca Walking Experience page to get yourself booked on to one of our unique sessions with our Alpaca herd or purchase a gift voucher for a loved one.

Happy Alpaca Walking

Team OBG

 

 

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