Safe, at ease and in harness.

Llamas have been in New Zealand far longer than we might have expected, as Julie Insley of Rangemore Farm, and President of the Llama Association told Rural Living.

“There is a long story about a chap, Charles Ledger who spent several years getting them out of Chile,” Julie said.

“The New South Wales government was supposed to pay him but they reneged on the deal. So he was broke and had to sell them all. There was a public auction and he wasn’t allowed to sell them to New Zealand, but somehow they scammed some through and they came to settle in Akaroa. The tale is that a fat judge got chased by one and gave orders they should be got rid of, which is why they were liberated.”

“I think it is unlikely any of that bloodline survived because they are a domestic animal and wouldn’t do nearly so well in the wild. Llamas in NZ today are all recent imports from the 80’s, mostly from England, Canada and Chile, with a few more recent additions from America and Australia.”

Julie is a font of knowledge about her beloved llamas. “It is probable they have been domesticated for between 5000-6000 years. The alpaca came from the Vicuna and the llama from the Guanaco, but to sort out exactly what happened in between would require a detailed DNA analysis! Here today the Llama Association has a complete registry of all NZ animals in both alphabetical and numerical order. Anyone can download all 32 pages and trace any animal they choose.”

The Christmas llama ride.

To answer the question “Why llamas?” is to require a look at the very nature of these remarkable animals. It seems they have a certain magic, or certainly charisma to them which causes usually rational people to cast caution to the four winds. “When I first saw them, I fell in love with them,” Julie admitted.

“They dazzled and delighted me in equal measure. Most of them prefer not to be touched, but they do bond, engage with me, seem to want a relationship, and remain very tranquil. Above all else they are safe. Horses and cattle are unpredictable, but I feel quite at ease in a paddock of llamas particularly as I know them all by name, and they have an innate respect for personal space. I have always found them to be very intelligent and quick to learn – if they get tangled in a tether, they very quickly learn to disentangle themselves.”

Throughout Julie’s long association with llamas she has put in considerable effort towards their well-being, as well as observing their behaviour and patterns keenly. In conjunction with the NZ Llama and Alpaca Association she is in the advanced stages of seeing a code of welfare to promote best practice, and establishing minimum standards for Camelid keeping to be presented to The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. 

“I started with two only 13 years ago, and today I have 52. They really are very simple to keep, and inexpensive in terms of running. It is important to remember that they were domesticated, and trained. Having and owning a trained llama is a lot of fun, but, just like an untrained horse, having a wild one would be very hard work.