Shearing shenanigans at Seaview!

 

Now the weather is getting warmer, it’s time for our woolly friends to be sheared before it gets too hot!

 This was the first time that our adorable South Down  Baby Doll Sheep, Daisy and Maisy, have been sheared since arriving at the Park a few months ago and was quite a shock for the Keepers to see them looking so trim!

You can see from looking at the before and after pictures just how much wool they were carrying around with them and why it is so important that they are sheared before the summer begins.

Our other Woolley friends, Garnet and Augustus, however are quite used to the shearing shenanigans although they are yet to make it look  graceful!

You may be asking what happens to all this wonderful wool? Fear not, all the fleeces are collected and sent to The Border Mill, a small scaled fibre processing mill nestled in the beautiful  Scottish borders. Here it will  be transformed and sent back to us as knitting yarn and  sold in our gift shop! This year it will be extra special as the two fleeces will be processed together producing a exceptionally warm, cashmere, soft fibre.

Alpaca Shearing Time 2012!

June is the time of year when our Alpacas are due for their annual shearing!
Once again we were joined by experienced Camelid shearer Bob, who travels down from Cumbria each year to shear our two boys (along with other Alpacas and Llamas on the Isle of Wight!).
It is very important that the alpacas are sheared every year as it allows them to absorb sunlight (through their skin), which helps to boost their vitamin D levels.
If their ‘for-locks’ are left untrimmed for too long (resulting in insufficient natural sunlight into their eyes) and their fleece is left un-sheared (blocking sunlight from their bodies) this can cause vitamin deficiencies and often results in diseases such as rickets.

The preferred method for shearing, is to first lay the animals on their side and restrain their   legs with a tether at each end. This protects both the shearer and the Alpaca from being accidentally cut.

As would be the case for sheep, Alpaca shearing requires sharp hand clippers and specialist electric shears.
Immediately after shearing, the fleece is separated into “the blanket” (the best quality part of the fleece that can be used for weaving), and other parts of the fleece (no good for weaving but excellent nesting material for various birds and animals here at the Park!).


As you can see from the photos there was a lot of interest from the public during the shearing! Luckily, Animal Keepers Jake and Becci were on hand to help Bob throughout the process.

  

Alpaca fleece is highly sought after by hand-crafters and commercial markets alike because it is one of the finest natural fibres. The fleece can be made into any product that we would normally associate with wool – yet the end-product will be warmer, lighter, and softer. Many people who cannot wear wool because it is too ‘prickly’ can wear Alpaca fleece.
Another interesting fact is that apparently Alpaca fleece doesn’t contain lanolin, so people it can be work by those who are allergic to the lanolin in wool. For people who are allergic to commercial dyes or have a preference for completely natural fibres Alpaca fleece is almost undoubtedly the answer – because it comes in over 20 natural colour variations!

And here we are with the finished product……

The Woolly jumpers come off!

Well now the weather is finally warming up, it's time the woolly jumpers came off....at least that's what Fern and Jake told our two young Alpaca boys, Augustus and Garnet as they were reluctantly led in the direction of Bob and Martin...the shearers!!


It's not the most dignified position to be in but shearing is completely necessary during the warmer months of the year as not only does it get very hot under all that wool but it's also important that they actually absorb some Vitamin D from the sunshine.


This is the first shear that our Alpacas have had to endure since arriving at the park in March and unfortunately it won't be the last! Due to the nature of their fibrous woolly coats its very easy for foreign objects to attach themselves and 'hang on' especially when they love to roll around on the grass to supposedly 'brush off' or cool down. Therefore shearing needs to take place at least once a year as well as a quick trim of their toenails and teeth!
The good news is their beautiful woolly jumpers don't go to waste and in fact Alpacas are a domesticated species from South America (Andes, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador) where their fibrous wool is used for making knitted and woven items such as blankets, hats, scarves, ponchos and lots more!


This photo gives some idea just how much wool they produce and for a fair price too! The only problem is it doesn't look like Augustus recognises his friend, little does he know that he's next!!