Cresta Viento Alpacas, situated on the foothills of the Kaimai Range, Bay of Plenty - pictured are some of the stud's white alpacas and Cresta Viento Ava (brown and white female, foreground) with Cresta Viento Alexandra (dark brown baby).

Breeding alpacas is something of a passion for Cresta Viento Alpaca stud owner Linley Yeoman.

Like many alpaca breeders she was hooked from the start and after buying her first five breeding females in 2004 she has steadily built up numbers while improving the quality of her Bay of Plenty-based herd. She now has more than 20 animals and fleece micron – the fineness of each individual fibre strand – is down to around 16 at the second shear.

“I just love the attitude and personality of alpacas,” Linley said. “There is never a dull moment as their inquisitive natures mean they are always on the look out for mischief.”

“They are also very peaceful animals – there’s just something about them, like they have an old soul.”

Linley single-handedly manages her alpaca stud on top of a full-time job, negating many of the misconceptions surrounding alpacas.

“Many people see alpacas as being difficult to handle and they certainly can be, if you don’t manage them correctly,” Linley said.

“It’s a matter of learning to work with an alpaca’s nature not against it and then everything goes more smoothly and with far less spit.”

A background as a scientist comes in handy for Linley who is rigorous about animal health, using the latest science for pasture management and animal husbandry. She also conducts facial eczema spore counts – a common problem for alpacas – on her pasture.

“Not many people realise the damage facial eczema does to alpacas. The damage is done to their liver before any outward signs are noticed and by then it’s too late.”

Regular spore count testing and spraying the paddocks with lime as well as feeding zinc nuts when spore counts are high and pasture management methods, minimise the risk for Linley’s alpacas.

Linley is constantly looking to improve the quality of fleece in her herd and is a member of the internationally recognised SRS® breeding programme, which aims to breed animals with a particular skin type for improved quality of fibre, length and lustre.