Interesting Facts about Alpacas

The Alpaca are part the camelid family. There are two breeds of alpaca : huacaya (with full, puffy fleeces whose crimp or crinkle is found throughout their fleeces) and suri ( lustrous, straight fiber of the suri fleece hangs down in "dreadlocks"). Alpaca were first imported into the US in 1984. Today, there are around 161,000 registered Alpacas in the US. Alpacas are no longer able to be imported into the US. The U.S. government does not currently have a high security portal into the U.S. for animals imported from countries that have hoof and mouth disease, which at this time includes Peru and Bolivia.

Color is another natural advantage of alpaca fiber. While most animal fibers are one color, alpacas produce fleece in an amazing range of 22 colors, reducing the need for artificial dyes and allowing the fibers to retain their natural softness, flexibility and hypo-allergenic qualities. If you do choose to dye the white fiber, it takes only 20% of what you would normally use to dye other materials to dye alpaca fiber.

Did you know that alpaca fiber is lanolin free? Are you allergic to wool, which contains lanolin? Alpaca fiber does not contain any natural oils, and is hypo-allergenic. Alpaca fiber is six times warmer than wool, three times stronger than wool , and more luxurious than silk-cashmere. The fiber will not pile and resists tearing. The fiber create lightweight apparel with very high insulation value.

They are environmentally friendly with their soft padded feet and do not damage the terrain. They usually do not eat or destroy trees. Gardeners find the alpaca’s rich fertilizer perfect for growing fruits and vegetables. Their dung has been as been used by the South American Indians as fuel. We use their fleece to make beautiful clothing. 

Alpaca are induced ovulators, the mating itself causes the female to produce an egg. The gestation period is usually 11 to 12 months, which a single baby alpaca is born called a cria (pronounced cree-a). Twins are almost unheard of. About two weeks after giving birth, the female is ready to breed again. Alpaca's lifespan is around 15- 20 years. The females have been known to have healthy births at an old age.

Why invest in Alpacas? There are tax advantages under IRS Code Section 179. If the alpacas are raised for profit, all the expenses attributable to the endeavor can be written off against your income. Expenses would include not only feed, fertilizer, veterinarian care, etc., but depreciation of such tangible property as breeding stock, barns and fences, all of which can shelter current cash flow from tax. Please consult your tax preparer for your individual situation.