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!!
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