This entry was posted
on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Zoology.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
standard donkeys and llamas are better at guarding than are alpacas..
only SOME alpacas and SOME donkeys and SOME llamas are good for guarding – usually gelded males…they KICK the dogs
but an alpaca is small and cannot protect sheep and goats from wolves and cougars.. and is barely a defence against hungry coyote or feral dogs…
Alpacas are normally gentle toward humans and other animals
that are not seen as threatening but they have an innate dislike
for canines and foxes. Their defence against such predators is
to chase them away or pursue them and if necessary stamp
at or on the predator with their front feet, rising off the
ground onto their back legs if necessary before bringing their
front legs down with considerable speed and force. Alpacas,
when provoked in such a fashion, are very fast and will catch
the predator in a short distance. There is also evidence that
alpacas may deter attacks from eagles.
The instinct for one or two alpacas to bond with other grazing animal herds, and especially their proven ability to protect
sheep and goats, has resulted in the growing use of wethered
adult male alpacas as sheep flock guardians – especially during
and after lambing and kidding. Cases have been recorded
in Australia of wethers bravely standing in front of females
and progeny in the corner of a paddock fending off multiple
animal attacks. In some cases a guardian has been killed by
dogs while at least some of his flock survived.
Apparently they’re very good at their jobs. You know, there’s a lot of interesting information about them. Check out the links below.
standard donkeys and llamas are better at guarding than are alpacas..
only SOME alpacas and SOME donkeys and SOME llamas are good for guarding – usually gelded males…they KICK the dogs
but an alpaca is small and cannot protect sheep and goats from wolves and cougars.. and is barely a defence against hungry coyote or feral dogs…
Alpacas are normally gentle toward humans and other animals
that are not seen as threatening but they have an innate dislike
for canines and foxes. Their defence against such predators is
to chase them away or pursue them and if necessary stamp
at or on the predator with their front feet, rising off the
ground onto their back legs if necessary before bringing their
front legs down with considerable speed and force. Alpacas,
when provoked in such a fashion, are very fast and will catch
the predator in a short distance. There is also evidence that
alpacas may deter attacks from eagles.
The instinct for one or two alpacas to bond with other grazing animal herds, and especially their proven ability to protect
sheep and goats, has resulted in the growing use of wethered
adult male alpacas as sheep flock guardians – especially during
and after lambing and kidding. Cases have been recorded
in Australia of wethers bravely standing in front of females
and progeny in the corner of a paddock fending off multiple
animal attacks. In some cases a guardian has been killed by
dogs while at least some of his flock survived.