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Alpaca

Alpacas are living beings with needs, wants and feelings, just like you and I. They require time, money, care, understanding and commitment. Having alpacas in your life can be a wonderful experience and very rewarding, but only if you think through your decision very carefully before you adopt and ensure you and your family understand and accept all that will be required of you as responsible, caring alpaca guardians.


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Alpacas evolved in South America, where the majority of the world’s population still live.

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Baby alpacas are called cria.

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Alpacas can live up to 20 years.

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Alpacas are camelids, which means they’re in the same family as camels. Alpacas are also lamoids. Lamoids are members of the South American camelid family – this includes alpacas, llamas, vicunas, and guanacos.

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Alpaca herds all toilet in the same area of their environment. 

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Alpacas breed once a year.

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There are two breeds of alpacas – Suri and Huacaya.

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Alpacas can be trained with reward-based training. 

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An alpaca’s stomach has three-chamberes

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There are approximately 5000 alpacas in New Zealand.

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People introduced alpacas to New Zealand in 1986. 

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Cushing is a natural alpaca behaviour. This is when they lay down with all four of their legs underneath them.

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Alpacas have nails, not hooves.

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Alpaca are called modified ruminants, or pseudoruminants, as their stomach has three chambers, while ruminants have four.