What are llamas used for?

The Llama Promotion Committee is developing national education/promotion campaigns to educate the General Public about the virtues of llamas as highly intelligent, cooperative, utilitarian athletes that, if suited for it, make great pack animals with dependable work ethics and gentle dispositions, with highly marketable fiber, with the ability to function as therapy/companion animals and to be guard animals for sheep and goat herds. There is a distinct need for general campaigns to educate our fellow Americans to the potentials of llamas.

Packing: Llamas are often used for carrying equipment and necessities when hiking. They are wonderful companions, obedient, and strong. They can carry heavy loads and do not tear up trails due to their padded feet.

Pet Therapy: Llamas make great friends and have many uses in public relations. They are able to provide comfort to others because they have a gentle demeanor and are intuitive of peoples’ feelings. They have unique ability to ease stress and anxiety and can bring calmness to people in need. Llamas often visit places such as nursing homes to aid these types of people. They visit other public places such as schools and libraries for educational reasons.

Fiber: Llamas produce very soft fiber that is spun into yarn. Many people prefer llama fiber to sheep wool because it has little or no lanolin making it hypoallergenic.

Guard Llamas: With their keen hearing and peripheral eyesight, llamas are often used as guard animals to protect smaller livestock such as sheep, goats, even chicken. A guard llama will bond with the animals in the shared pasture and will protect these animals from predators by focusing its attention on the threat. Guard llamas are always paying attention to their surroundings and notice dangers sooner than other animals. If necessary, the guard llama will herd its pasture mates away from the danger and it will often sound a shrill alarm call, spit, and can challenge the predator by posturing and chasing it away. However, not all llamas have the potential to be guard llamas. 

 

Over the centuries the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere has been celebrated as a time of re-uniting with and appreciating the natural world. The summer solstice and the appreciation of llamas is a natural and historical fit.

Our summer solstice is the winter solstice in the Andes, ancestral home of our llamas. The Andean June solstice celebration continues today with traditional recognition of the power of the natural world, including attention to llamas.
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What better symbol to acknowledge our summer solstice than to honor and appreciate llamas, one of the world’s oldest surviving animals. And to recognize the gentle nature of these animals who are often referred to as “old souls” as they seem to understand so much about human nature.