Welcome to the website of the British Llama Society
Llamas are members of the South American camelid family and are mostly found in the high altiplano regions of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia and Chile. They are the domesticated cousin of the wild guanaco and are extensively used by the Andean people and in the past by the Incas, as beasts of burden, for food, for fibre and their hides used as leather. The British Llama Society has been set up to promote all aspects of llama and Guanaco ownership - good husbandry, breeding, trekking, driving, showing and much more. It publishes a quarterly magazine, Llama Llink.
Very importantly it operates a registration system for llamas, guanacos, vicunas and camels; an important facility in these days of increasing regulation. It is also affiliated to British Camelids Ltd, a charity which promotes the responsible ownership of all camelids in the UK.
The Society brings together a lively community of people all of whom have been captivated by these fascinating animals. Below you can find out all about our recent news and events!
Code of Conduct for the Sale of Llamas
The purpose of this Code:
To help buyers, particularly first-time buyers, to avoid pitfalls in the purchase process.
To promote the well-being of the animals being sold
To provide sellers with a minimum standard to which they should conduct their sales.
Please note that not all llamas make good field pets, or are suitable for trekking or make satisfactory livestock guardians.
To help ensure your introduction to llamas is a good one, we recommend that prospective purchasers of llamas join BLS and buy only from members’ who are signatories to this Code.
Do not hesitate to ask the sellers if they are signatories
~ they should be able and happy to show you their in-date certificate
The British Llama Society does not accept advertising, nor will promote in any way, the sale of llamas by anyone who has not signed the code.
Signatories to this Code are issued with a dated certificate, which should be renewed every five years by application
A separate addition to the code is available for the sale of guanacos
When selling or offering for sale any llama the signatory member of the British Llama Society undertakes:
1. To give appropriate advice and full information on the pros and cons of owning llamas to any purchaser
2. To offer purchasers after-sales advice, whenever needed, particularly concerning care and welfare
3. To give full and appropriate advice on choosing the right animal for the purchaser´s intended purpose
4. To declare any known faults in conformation or temperament which could hamper or obstruct the purpose for which the llama is purchased
5. To not knowingly offer cross-bred, in-bred, or infertile stock, or related pairs without declaring them as such
6. To provide purchasers with a full record of the animal´s breeding and veterinary history, including worming, vaccinations, etc. as far as they are known
7. To ensure that purchasers understand that, if they have more than one entire male, the males will need to be kept separately if within sight or smell of a female
8.
- That crias will not be bottle-fed/ hand-reared except in life-threatening circumstances, in which case the fact that an animal has been reared in this way will be declared to a potential purchaser
- To explain to all purchasers of camelids which are capable of breeding that, although bottle-fed/hand-reared youngsters are extremely tame and friendly when small, they are very likely to become extremely difficult to manage when they mature
- To explain that any male camelid which has been reared in this way should be castrated at between six and twelve months of age but that castration might not necessarily prevent such problems
- To request all purchasers of animals capable of breeding, to pass on this information (*a-c) to anyone who might buy from them in the future
9. Females sold as pregnant are declared -
- Confirmed pregnant: only following a blood test or ultrasound scan and there has been no reason to suspect a miscarriage
- Believed pregnant: only when mating has been witnessed and subsequent putting of the male to the female has been witnessed and not resulted in further mating
- Possibly pregnant: where no mating has been witnessed but an adult female has been running with an adult male
10. To advise purchasers
- that female camelids should not be intentionally mated until they have attained at least 60% of their likely adult weight or be at least eighteen months of age
- that it is possible for mating and conception to occur at as young an age as nine months and that this is detrimental to the well-being of the female. This must be borne in mind if young males and females are to be kept together
12. To ensure suitable transport is provided for the llamas
Signatories to this code are duty bound to not sell llamas...
... without ensuring that purchasers understand the long-term commitment
... as being “easy-to-keep” without making it clear that all livestock needs daily observation, care and attention, and can be subject to health and other problems
...without making every effort to ensure that the new home offers adequate grazing, shelter, fencing, and fresh water, etc.
If any purchaser or prosepctive purchaser, having joined BLS, believes that the terms of this Code have been breached, the matter should be referred to the Society Committee, who will investigate and take appropriate action.
Llamas are members of the South American camelid family. They were domesticated from the Guanaco some 5000 years ago. Their ancestors inhabited the plains of North America and migrated south to the Andes about three million years ago!
Llamas can be grouped broadly into two types: Ccara and Tampuli.
“Ccara”, the most commonly seen type in the UK, has a short to medium length coat with very short fibre on the legs and head and tends to be larger than the Tampuli.
The“Tampuli" is more heavily woolled than the Ccara, its coat extending down the legs and often distinguished by a woolly "topknot".
The llama is the largest of the South American Camelids, weighing anything up to 400lbs (180kg) and standing approximately 4 ft (1.25m) at the shoulder.
Elegant with an exotic quality, llamas are strong, intelligent and hardy. They have a gentle temperament and inquisitive nature. With their distinctive "banana" shaped ears, they are found in a variety of colours from solid white to black and with varying shades and mixes of brown and grey.
Llamas are very diverse animals and are becoming much sought after in the UK for their many attributes
Their life span is generally 12 to 18 years although some may live to be over 20.
Field Pets: Llamas are becoming increasingly popular as field pets being gentle, quiet, hardy and undemanding. They live in harmony with other field stock and make good companions for lone ponies etc. They quickly learn to wear a halter and to be led. Llamas can be taught to pull a cart.
Trekking: Llamas can be walked for pleasure and will happily carry a pack, offering the long distance walker or the picnicking family both a fun companion and a willing helper!
A number of enterprises around the UK offer llama treks of varying lengths from just a half day upwards.
Fibre: llamas have a double fleece; an outer guard hair and a fine, soft undercoat much sought after by hand spinners. Llamas do not have to be sheared at all, but the undercoat can be used to make an array of wonderful garments and the guard hair can be used for other products such as bags, rugs etc. The fleece comes in many natural colours from white to black with a wide range of browns and greys in between.
Livestock guardians: Although gentle by nature, male llamas are protective of their group and are used very successful to keep predators from attacking lambs and even ducks and poultry.
RUssell Ives
British Llama Society
Llama
UK
Guanacos
The Guanaco is not domesticated in South America but there are a small number of domestic herds in the UK. The Guanaco has an outstanding fleece, even finer than the Llama. Guanacos are a honey shade of brown or cinnamon with white under-parts and dark grey head. They stand approximately 1 to 1.5 metres at the withers, weighing 100-150 Kgs.
Chairman: Tim Crowfoot
email: chairman@BritishLlamaSociety.org
Directors: Ordell Safran, Ruth Hills, Gwyneth Hogger, Gareth Chamberlin
Magazine Editor: Brenda Birmingham
email: editor@BritishLlamaSociety.org
Registrar: Vivienne Ives
email: registrar@BritishLlamaSociety.org
Membership Secretary: Jane Brown
email: membership@BritishLlamaSociety.org
Secretary: Liz Butler
email: secretary@BritishLlamaSociety.org
Treasurer: Tim Crowfoot
email: treasurer@BritishLlamaSociety.org
Web Maintenance: Russell Ives
email: web@BritishLlamaSociety.org
Llamas are some of the easiest animals to keep as they are hardy, stoic and generally very healthy animals. All livestock should be checked at least once a day, spending a little time observing your animals and knowing their normal behavior will help you to recognize if something is amiss. General stocking rate is four llamas per acre, however this does not equate with keeping two llamas on half an acre. Pasture needs to be divided to rest one side, whilst the other is grazed. This helps to provide grazing for longer whilst helping to keep the worm burden in check.
For most llamas, grazing and ad lib hay is enough to keep them healthy, with a mineral lick on hand to provide those vitamins and minerals that may be missing from their forage. Depending on the quality of your pasture and hay, supplementary feeding is not usually required; the exceptions possibly being pregnant and lactating females, weanlings and elderly llamas. By regular checking of body condition, you can gauge if your llama needs extra food, or in the case of obese animals, if you need to restrict intake. As llamas have evolved to live in harsh conditions with poor vegetation, living in the U.K. tends to make our llamas fat. Obese animals are more likely to suffer from heart and respiratory problems and in later life, arthritis. In females, it reduces fertility and lactation and is more likely to give her birthing problems.
Some books recommend worming twice a year. Many vets now advocate worming only if results of faecal testing require it. Llamas do have a good resistence to internal parasites because of their clean dunging habits (communal dunging areas) unless you are very tight on grazing most will not graze around this.
It is recommended that llamas are vaccinated against clostridial diseases. This consists of two doses usually a few weeks apart initially but as recommended by your vet, and then a yearly booster, is sufficient to keep them safe from these deadly diseases. Pregnant females need a pre-birth booster 2 – 6 weeks before calving so that she passes on her anti bodies to her new born cria. Vaccination against Bluetongue is now essential to protect your herd – even if there are only two of them! Two injections 3-4 weeks apart are required initially then an annual booster which should be given in March or April to maximize the protection during the midge season since it is midges that spread the disease. Bovine TB is another threat to camelids. There is no vaccination at present and no compulsory testing. However, you should bear in mind that there are some hot spots where this disease is endemic and you should therefore think carefully before taking animals out of these areas to areas free of it. The DEFRA website can give you information on these areas.
The majority of llamas never need to have their toe nails or teeth trimmed. Llamas that come onto hard standing areas, or are taken for walks on hard surfaces, will wear their toe nails down naturally. Llamas with a good jaw alignment will also keep their teeth in check and it is rare for these animals to need attention.
Last but not least is stress. Llamas are born with a gentle, inquisitive nature. They are not aggressive or confrontational. They will play and chase each around and enjoy being taken out for walks. Breeding males that run with females all the time can sometimes get territorial and possessive so are best kept separately. Introducing new llamas to an established group can sometimes cause ructions, but providing you allow them to get to know each other across a fence for a while, they usually accept the newcomers. Bullying can occur when greedy llamas or older llamas mix with younger llamas or newcomers. Understanding normal llama behavior will alert you to any problems in the herd, so check your llamas at least once a day and enjoy!
Before you buy...
Join BLS (download membership form)
Ensure the seller is a BLS member and an up-to-date signatory to the BLS Sales Code of Conduct
Check that the llamas (or guanacos) you are interested in are registered with the BLS. This has a number of important benefits:
It helps ensure and ascertain that the stock you buy is not in-bred (a potential health problem).
It helps you to ensure that breeding pairs or groups can be put together that are unrelated
It helps us monitor the whereabouts of the nation's stock (vital for dealing with potential disease problems or governmental edicts).
It offers breeders the opportunity to monitor and demonstrate the progress of their breeding programmes, which in turn encourages the breeding of quality stock.
Only registered llamas can be shown at official Shows.
Ultimately we expect that only registered stock will be able to take advantage of any insurance arrangements BLS is hoping to put in place.
Talk to and visit as many members as possible - Once you have joined you are welcome to call any of our committee members or other listed contacts for a chat.
See as many llamas as you can
Attend any meetings that are being organised in your area (or beyond) AND ask questions
Ensure that you have enough land with secure fencing and shelter to keep llamas
Be prepared to have animals that may live for many years
Decide what you really want a llama for... Trekking? Showing? Fibre? Livestock Guarding? A companion for other livestock? Field Pet? Breeding?
Do not buy an entire male unless you have the right facilities to keep him.
Consider the health of the animal and any others in the herd from which you are buying. Check vaccination and worming records.
Look carefully and critically at its conformation and the way it moves. Is it sound?
What is its temperament like?
Can you see the parents?
If it is sold as halter trained, can YOU put a halter on it? Can YOU lead it? Will it load into a trailer?
If it is not trained in any way, are YOU confident that YOU can do it yourself?
Check whether the animals are registered with British Camelids, and, if they are not, obtain as much information as possible about their parentage and grandparents.
Important: Ensure that the llama you are interested in is not "too friendly"! If a youngster is pushy or overtly friendly then it will have been hand-reared or over-handled. Whilst very tempting when little, such llamas have "imprinted" and will grow up to be, at best, difficult and pushy - and at worst, a danger.
REMEMBER:
Llamas are herd animals and should NEVER be kept on their own. Two or more of the same sex or gelded, make the best field pets.
Never buy a breeding pair unless you have the facilities to separate them at the appropriate time.
To breed or not to breed that is the question. The first things to consider, are whether you have the facilities and what are you going to do with the cria after it is born. Remember that if you plan to sell it, you must be willing to put in the time and effort to make sure it is well handled and halter trained. It is all well and good if you have a suitable male and a suitable female to put together; but, you must be aware that the male and female must be separated before the female gives birth. After the birth, the female should not go back to the male for between 10 and 21 days. Whether the cria is a female or male, it will have to be separated from the stud male at about six months. If left with the stud, the stud may try to cover his daughter or fight with his son. When they are separated, you will need a companion for the weanling and a separate paddock for them.
Next, you must consider whether the male and female are suitable for breeding. Do they have proper genitalia? Do they have any major conformation faults? When deciding which males and females to breed, be objective not emotional. Very few llamas are without some faults. So, in choosing a mate for your female, select a male that will improve her poor qualities. For example, if your female is slightly knock kneed, select a male with straight legs.
Llamas are induced ovulators, a female does not ovulate until she has been stimulated by the male. This means that they can conceive any time of the year. The average llama is pregnant for 340 to 345, but, females can be pregnant from 330 days to 375 days. Since the female is an induced ovulator , you can chose the time of year that your cria is born.
There are several methods of breeding. Which you use depends on your time and your facilities. One method is pasture breeding. This is the more natural way. The male has his field and the females are introduced to him. This has the advantage of less stress and ensures that the male will keep breeding with her as long as she is open. The disadvantage is that after awhile, if the female does not get pregnant, the male may loose interest. To prevent this, the male may be removed from the field for a week and then re-introduced. The other problem is that since you cannot watch them 24 hours a day, you don’t know exactly when the female has been successfully covered.
The second method is hand breeding. This is only workable when the male and female are kept separately and are halter trained. Therefore, it involves having more fields and more time. The female is introduced to the male in a place of your choosing. After the initial breeding, the two are separated and then re-introduced four days later. Check her behavior. If she lets the male cover her, she has not ovulated and the male will mate her again. You continue to re-introduce them until she refuses the male. This method gives you a better idea of when the cria might be due.
Whichever method you use, you can test if the female has conceived either by blood testing for progesterone levels after 21 days of her refusing the male or by an ultra sound scan after 50 days.
If the male and female are kept together after mating, they must be separated before the female gives birth. It has been known for the male to try to cover the female while she is giving birth with some very bad results.
Most births happen during the day. Some llamas show signs of getting near giving birth, others do not, particularly first time mothers. Most llamas “bag-up” one to six weeks before birthing. This is when the mammary glands fill-up with milk. Also, when getting ready to give birth, the rear end of the female becomes slack and the vulva elongates.
The mother-to-be often appears restless, stands alone humming, goes to the dung pile often, and lays down and gets up frequently. Normally the crias front legs appear first and then the nose. The cria generally drops out of the mother while she is standing. This breaks the umbilical cord. Almost immediately the baby will begin rolling and trying to sit up. It is usually on its feet and suckling within a few hours. When the baby is born, you can dry it off with a towel and then you must spray the umbilical with iodine.
The last stage of the birthing process is the expulsion of the placenta (after- birth) within 4 to 6 hours. If after twelve hours it hasn’t been passed, do not try to pull it out. Seek veterinary help. The after-birth should be examined for infection, tears, hemorrhaging and completeness. You want to make sure the cria is standing, nursing and passing droppings.
Most important enjoy the miracle of a new llama!
Nidderdale Llamas recently sent a press release style letter to the BBC re their new trekking venture, related it to their beautiful location in the Yorkshire Dales, ideal for trekking. It must have hit the spot at the BBC since a film crew and presenter were rapidly dispatched to Nidderdale!
Suzanne Benson, who runs Nidderdale Llamas with her husband, takes up the story:
“They filmed us out with real customers on a trek and interviewed some of them plus myself. The reporter was very un-inspired when she arrived, had pre-conceived ideas that llamas were bad press and didn’t have a clue what llama trekking was. Well, we changed her perspective completely! She was genuinely surprised by her bond with one of our llamas and really enjoyed her trekking. This was great as it really came across on the TV that she was at ease, relaxing with her llama and having a great experience. So many people have responded positively. I’m now receiving requests from shows, galas, festivals for the llamas to visit over the summer as they are becoming increasingly popular as an attraction. We attended a local gala yesterday with three llamas, mainly plugging the trekking side, but we were inundated with people and enquiries. It’s really changing perceptions of the public in Yorkshire, so many people initially avoid our stand, thinking of the media’s hype on spitting llamas! Then after seeing more people visit and reading the signs ‘Spit free zone’!!! they come along, stroke and talk to our animals then simply fall in love with them. I so enjoy seeing the public’s attitude change as they meet us.
I can safely and ‘proudly’ say Nidderdale Llamas is very much in the lime light in Yorkshire at present. We do what we can to promote llamas as a really fantastic unique animal, where people can enjoy their companionship and elegance, feel safe and at ease. We’ve had loads of local radio coverage, presenters trekking, press involvement in the local papers and we’ve sponsored the odd local event to get our name out there!
Since opening in April, we’ve had some lovely letters of thanks from people who were either dragged along by a partner or very un-sure on arrival, so again Yorkshire folk are now being inspired by our wonderful llamas.
If you look on the link news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8021730.stm you can go to the BBC website and watch the feature they ran.”
Would you believe it as soon as this good PR hit the streets Suzanne’s website crashed. However after much work it has been rebuilt, so see more about Nidderdale Llamas at their new website www.nidderdalellamas.org.
Dear BLS Member
Bovine TB is spreading out of control. Llamas are susceptible to bTB.
As many of you are aware there are an increasing number of llamas being found to have bovine TB. Although the mode of infection is as yet unknown, it is likely to be either llama to llama, cow to llama or badger to llama. This is very concerning especially as we, as an industry, do not have any workable systems in place to reduce the risk of infection.
TB is not caused by the owners lack of knowledge or by bad management. If you have infected animals you should not be embarrassed or ashamed. Our llamas and your fellow members need you to stand up and talk openly about your particular situation. This is the only way that others can become educated about the problem, how to handle it and what our rights are as llama owners.
What is needed from you
The BLS and the BAS have a meeting coming up shortly about bTB with the Government Minister in charge to put the camelid case to her. It would be very helpful if I could go knowing what it is that the members want.
I need your help to understand the extent of the problem. Unless those affected tell me who you are, I have no way of knowing how many of our members are affected. Your information will be treated in the strictest confidence, and will be known only to those on the board who are actively involved. As a relatively small industry we are much stronger when we talk as one. I can only do this if all those affected as well as those who may be in a hot spot come together and define what is required.
The first step is to let me know in the strictest confidence if you are affected. Please get in touch even if you think I already know.
You can email me: HYPERLINK "mailto:llamaliz@hotmail.com%20or" llamaliz@hotmail.com or call on 01737-823375. Once again, your information will be handled in confidence.
We, as representitives of the Camelid industry, can't go forward with this unless we know what you want. Those with infected herds know who you are. You have a duty to the greater livestock industry to eradicate bTB from your herds, to do this efficiently and effectively everyone needs to work together. Herds do recover from TB and there is light at the end of the tunnel. The future of llamas in the UK could be seriously damaged if we do not get to grips with this issue.
Thank you.
LIZ BUTLER
Vice Chairman BLS & Health & Welfare Representative
British Llama Society - a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 04897204.
Registered office: Mansion House, Princes Street, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 1EP.
Have you placed you order for Bluetongue vaccine yet with your vet? If not, please do so now.
The recommendation from the Royal Veterinary College and the British Veterinary Camelid Society is to administer your booster vaccination of 1ml to camelids already vaccinated and two doses of 1ml to crias not vaccinated last year, in March/ April 09. There should be a minimum of 2 weeks between giving BTV8 vaccine and any other vaccination. It is also recommended that you try to use the same make of vaccine for the booster that you used last year. Please discuss this with your vet.
Recently, Liver Fluke has been reported as a big problem in camelids. A number of animals have been lost due to it. Know your animals and keep an eye on any abnormal behaviour such as progressive loss of body condition/weight, anaemia, pale membranes and swelling below the jaw (in severe cases).
Liver Fluke is easily treated so keep an eye on your stock for signs. If you are worried, please talk to your vet, it is better to be safe than sorry.
