Alpacas - The Animal

Alpacas are native to the Altaplano region of South America, located above 10,000 feet in the Andes Mountains of Chile, Bolivia and Peru. The alpaca, a relative of the familiar llama, and the wild guanaco and vicuna, is raised for its luxurious fleece. Alpacas weigh about 150 pounds and stand about thirty-six inches at the withers. Alpacas come in over twenty natural colors, the most of any fiber producing animal. Alpaca fleece can be found in colors ranging from black to brown to pure white, with a myriad of shades between, including deep maroons and striking silver grays

Alpacas give birth to one baby (known as a cria) each year. An alpaca’s gestation is approximately 11 months, and they are ready to breed again within two weeks. A female alpaca (known as a dam) generally reaches breeding age at 12 to 18 months, and may remain reproductively active until twenty years of age. Male alpacas (referred to as a sire) attain sexual maturity between 18 and 36 months. The cria is ready to wean by 6 months of age.

Alpacas are ruminants. They eat grass and chew a cud. An alpaca’s feet are padded, which makes them very easy on the ground. Alpacas are much gentler on a pasture than hoofed animals such as cattle or horses. Alpacas tend to create community manure piles, inhibiting the spread of parasites and facilitating pasture clean up.

99 % of the worlds alpacas are located in South America. The total population is believed to be around 3 million.

Alpacas are intelligent and gentle creatures. Alpacas are naturally curious, observant and quick to learn. They readily adapt to being led by a halter. Children and alpacas seem to have a natural affinity for one another.

Alpacas -The Fiber

Shorn yearly, the fleece of an alpaca can weigh five to eight pounds, or more. Alpaca fiber is warmer, softer, stronger and lighter than wool. The alpaca’s fleece will grow three to four inches yearly, which coincidentally is the length preferred by hand spinners.

Alpaca fiber has a reputation for soft, luxurious handle and elegant drape. It is used in garments made in fashion centers from Italy to Tokyo. Sweaters and blankets made from the alpaca’s exquisite fleece may become heirlooms.

Alpaca fleece is unique in that the "blanket" or most valuable part of the fleece does not contain guard hair. The fur covering most animals is of two types, the soft undercoat and the coarser overcoat. In fiber producing animals such as cashmere goats the coarse guard hairs must be removed, a costly and tedious process. Alpaca fleece is also devoid of the lanolin that sheep produce. This results in a fleece that can be spun immediately after shearing without any further processing.

The processing of alpaca fleece is a major industry in South America. Each year the alpacas are sheared. Skilled workers hand sort the fleece for different grades of fineness. Huge textile factories process the raw alpaca fleece into high quality yarns that are subsequently manufactured into exclusive fashions.

In South America, alpaca breeders have traditionally been paid by the pound. This has encouraged breeding practices selecting for fleece density, often at the expense of fineness. North American breeders have recognized that fineness carries a premium, and generally breed for this in their alpacas. Today, America arguably has the best alpacas in the world.

Alpaca fiber is one of the rarest of luxury fibers. The unique qualities of the alpaca's fleece, coupled with its relative rarity, ensure a continued demand.

Alpacas - The History

The history of the alpaca is lost in antiquity. The indegenious people have been tending herds of alpacas for thousands of years. Scraps of fabric made from alpaca have been found by archeologists in ancient Inca tombs among the peaks of the high Andes. The finest alpaca wool was reserved for use by the royalty of the Incan empire. Even after the Spanish conquest alpacas were recognized as legal tender by the native population.

The Spanish who conquered the Inca empire decimated the native herds of alpacas and llamas. The gentle alpacas were largely replaced by sheep, which produced a product for export back to Spain. (By some estimates, as many as 90% of the alpacas were slaughtered at this time). There is evidence that the native herds of alpacas and llamas were allowed to interbreed, with a subsequent deterioration of the fiber quality of the alpaca. Archeologists have found fabric made from alpaca fiber that was much finer than any produced today.

Alpacas lived in relative obscurity until the middle 1800’s when the sterling qualities of alpaca fleece were rediscovered. New textile techniques were developed in England in order to produce yarns and fabric from the alpaca.

In 1984, the United States and Canada imported their first alpacas, followed by Australia and New Zealand in 1989. These countries with their temperate climates and more sophisticated animal husbandry techniques, have proven beneficial for the species. In 1991 breeders formed the Alpaca Owner and Breeders Association (AOBA) in order to pool resources and market these remarkable animals. Membership of AOBA has increased markedly each year since, as new breeders enter the industry. As we enter the new millenium there are over 2000 members in AOBA.

The Alpaca Registry Inc. (ARI) was formed in 1989 and is equipped to maintain a state of the art registry of pedigree for all alpacas in the United States. Parentage of alpacas is confirmed through blood type and DNA tracking. It is estimated that over 95 % of the over 30,000 alpacas in the United States are registered. In the future this will allow for well informed, scientific breeding decisions, as the United States works towards breeding the best alpacas in the world.

Recognizing that the intrinsic worth of the alpaca lies in its unique and luxurious fleece, at least two efforts have been started to create a domestic alpaca textile industry. The Alpaca Cooperative of North America (AFCNA) founded in 1997, collects the fleece from its members’ alpacas and oversees its production into finished goods.

These products can be purchased at wholesale by the members, or AFCNA will return dividends to its members based on their contributions to the fiber pool. The New England Alpaca Fiber Pool (NEAFP) serves as a liaison between alpaca owners and textile manufacturers. Through NEAFP alpaca owners may submit raw fleece and processing costs and in turn recieve finished alpaca products.

Data Source: SOJAA