Birth and the cria

Click here to read this PDF article by Professor Andrew Dart. BVSc, DVCS, Dip ACVS, Dip ECVS.; Alpacas birth and the cria (pdf 80 kb)

A summary of the article is below. Click on the link above for the entire piece.

Understanding animal behaviour provides an enormous advantage for farmers. Taking a moment to consider the process of animal domestication can provide a deeper understanding of alpacas. Horses, cattle and sheep have evolved over many centuries to be domesticated species. As part of the domestication process, desirable traits in each of these species have been selected with the purpose of making them more suitable to human needs. Tolerance to human contact and temperament are important traits that are characteristics of domesticated species. The success of this selection is no more evident in the more domesticated species like cats, dogs and horses and less so in terms of the less intensively managed species such as ruminants and pigs. The natural ‘fright and flight’ reflex of undomesticated species is so important for survival in the wild. Where animals are frightened the natural tendency is to flee. This innate response is still present in South American Camelids (SACs) when compared to domestic animals.