ENSURING PROPER CARE OF ALPACAS

We had a great question from a recent visitor to our site and we thought we’d share our response. The question, and our response are below.

How do you ensure that the Alpaca are being treated nicely by the people raising them and then during collection of their wool?

Alpacas are domesticated animals that have lived together with man for thousands of years. They do not live in the wild. Most Alpacas in South America are raised and cared for in small groups on family pastures in the Andes mountains. For many of these families, the Alpacas are considered members of the family. The Alpacas are gentle friendly animals that have their own personalities. The fiber from the animals is often the source of some of the family's clothing and usually their main source of income. It's in the family's best interest to care for the Alpaca because without them, life in the Andes can be very difficult.

The Alpacas are not pack animals (that is left to the Llamas). They are solely raised for their beautiful fiber. That fiber is sheared off usually once a year, after the cold winter. The shearing is actually good for the Alpaca as it gets rid of the dirt and parasites that accumulate in the thick coat. The Alpaca and man have a symbiotic relationship in the Andes; each helps the other.

With respect to how we ensure this is the case, that's a more difficult question. We work with one of the most trusted Alpaca companies in Peru. For generations, this family owned business has helped grow the Alpaca industry. You can visit their website at http://www.grupoinca.com/index-en.html

They have a strong emphasis on environmental and social responsibility. One of their organizations is called Pacomarca. You can see them at http://www.pacomarca.com/pacomarca/index.html . This is a research group that focuses on how to improve the quality of the Alpaca fiber through science and education. They spend a lot of time with these family farmers, teaching the indigenous people of the Andes how best to take care of their animals, how to keep them healthy, how to care for them when they are sick, and how to make the animals be the most productive they can be.

While there is always room for improvement, we believe that our partners all the way through our supply chain, from the manufacturer to the family farmer caring for the Alpacas, are doing the best they can to be conscious of their animals and the environment. For without the Alpaca, the Peruvian Andes would be a very different place, a place much more difficult to survive in, let alone thrive.