A Snow Day and Montana

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I was ready to drive the almost hour to school when the no school call came. Nothing beats a snow day when it makes a long weekend, either on the front or back end. And it was such a good day. Spent time with the llamas, played with Allie, rested with the cats flanking me. Mickey stayed home. Winterizing done the night before, I was left with a day to reflect, to blog, to count my blessings, and there are so many.

Criminal Neglect!

Then I went on Facebook and now I am having trouble sleeping. Montana. How can people commit such horror (and not just to animals). Have we lost our conscience? So much for sanctuary. Animals give us unqualified love and what do some people do.



So how can we help? Many ways. Penalties should be imposed. The force of law and animal rights organizations need to vocalize. We need to donate something of us, however small, to help these animals. Brenda Larson Vance pointed me toward AniMeals Missola, and I became a friend.

Sometimes horror is so great that we turn from it; this is one horror we need to face. Fix. Please help, any way you can. The cruelty must end, and as animal lovers and camelid owners, I think we share a greater responsibility to do something. Please help. If you can make a donation, however small, please visit Southeast Llama Rescue.

Allie's First Winter on The Farm

If you are an animal person, then this video needs no introduction. I believe the animals who share their lives with us enrich us, keep us calm and grounded. I cannot imagine life not surrounded by the friends I love.


Allie's First Winter on The Farm from RJ Stangherlin on Vimeo.

GALA 2010 Morris Foundation Presentation with Dr. Thomas Long

Proceeds from the GALA auction benefit MAF

Working for better lives for animals

Dr. Thomas Long, Board Member of the Morris Animal Foundation, delivered an annual update about the work the Morris Foundation does to create a healthier tomorrow for today's animals. Dr. Long began his presentation with a summary of how its founder, Dr. Morris initiated his lifelong work making a better tomorrow for animals through research.

Dr. Morris started the Hills Food, better known to those of us with pets as Science Diet. In 1948, the Morris Animal Foundation was established, and while llamas and alpacas are only a small source of the budget, MAF is the largest research clearinghouse for llama and alpaca funding.

Help for canine, equine, feline, camelid & wildlife consortia

Large animal practitioners are the smallest group studying veterinary medicine and the second smallest group is animal science researchers. The MAF studies animals humanely and they do it carefully, without euthanasia unless it is absolutely necessary. It is not, however, the end point.

MAF has an estate planning program, which has the infrastructure to handle major contributors. The program is called Lamplighters. Their research is proactive and this year’s budget was 7.5 million dollars. Their annual target goal is $13 million.

Why partner with MAF? Many reasons, including a National Canine Health Initiative with the National Cancer Institute. In addition, 25 staff people and 25 science experts review traditional studies with peer review and provide advice on feline, canine, and camelid consortia.

The members of GALA and its generous sponsors, auction bidders, and all those who supported The Magic of Llamas are proud to contribute to the MAF. As a community of animal owners and lovers, we join the MAF in working for cures for diseases that afflict animals.

A special thank you to Dr. Long for his excellent presentation, Q&A session, and for sharing his PowerPoint.

GALA 2010 Morris Foundation Presentation

GALA 2010 Keynote Speaker Dr. Marcelo Aba

Marcelo Aba, DVM Ph.D.

Animals, especially camelids, as well as people have a difficult existence in Tandil Argentina, because the climate is one of serious extremes, and the altitude is a problem. Under these conditions, full supply for animals is very tough. Their food supply is very dry grass, so animal nutrition is a problem. Highly conditioned by climate, animals run the risk of competition, overgrazing, and vicunas and donkeys continue to compete for food.

History of the Puna is interesting because it is the only place where there are historical ruins of homes and a fort carved in stone. In the Puna, camelids, particularly llamas, are the prime source of food, as well as grains. For llamas to survive in this place is very difficult. Colla or Coya are the people living there, and they were named by the Incas to mean people living in the Puna. Today over 30,000 people live there. Most people living in this area have 5 animals they call their own. To find real Coya, you need to travel high into the mountains.

Their traditions are very religious; there are churches everywhere. Pachamama is highly religious, and requires that you give everything that you receive back to Mother Earth. All belongs to God; whatever they have they do not see as a source of money. Animals exist to provide for their existence, so they take care of them.

Strongly religious traditions

Minga is the tradition of cooperation and working together; they do not pay taxes. It is a way of thinking to work collectively. They bring all their animals together in villages working together for the community. Young couples do not get married immediately; they live together to "try and see." If it works, they marry. Their social situation is difficult; they have almost nothing. Today, a few roads; television is coming. When they see the outside world, they will want more. But the people will never get out of the Puna. It is their reality. And it is a very harsh reality, something we really cannot imagine in our privileged lives as hobby or business camelid farmers.

Harsh living conditions on the Puna

Poverty abounds for people and animals. There are no doctors for these Puna farmers; a broken leg could take a week to mend. It could take hours or days to find a neighbor. People live crudely and having their animals makes the difference between having something to eat--or not. The people's economy falls to the women to maintain what they eat but the man's work is to go out and find work. People, especially women, look OLD at 25. There are no fences for the animals, so they roam at night and women must go out and find them to bring them back. Vicunas are increasing, even faster than llamas. Vicunas are becoming a business, but for the rich, not the poor farmers. That is why Dr. Aba and his people have engaged in helping the people of the Puna.

Animals and their farmer owners need to walk 2 days out and 2 days back to get veterinary treatment. That is why Dr. Aba and his people visit the villages in the Puna to help the people and their animals. He says that their working--and sleeping--conditions are hard. Difficult. But his photos show the rigor of their helping. Sometimes they used dry rivers to travel. Transportation to villages is a transportation risk. They even had accidents in their journeys.

Dr. Aba noted that this society is male dominated. You have to work with the men to get them to allow the women to engage in the help, in the new technology, the new drugs. Aba's goal is to teach them how to treat their animals with the drugs and instruments. The people have to work hard to pay back to continue having the drugs and services available to them. The goal is to make them self-sustaining and confident of trusting his people in a very closed society. Closed for centuries.

In defining the Argentine type llama,  Dr. Aba cites that supplementation is almost impossible in the mountains. Moving the animals to the valley is a possible solution, but it takes 2 days to make the move, the job of the women. Today the people of the Puna have fences to keep the animals out so they can grow grass for the difficult times. Dr. Aba is also working on trying to get the people of the Puna to reduce the size of their herds. It is considered manly to have MANY animals, despite their conditions. Today, reducing the herd size is a difficult concept to teach because the men believe their neighbors will think them weak, based on herd numbers.

Internal parasites exist but are not frequent because of the dry climate, but external parasites abound. It is difficult to teach the Coya how to treat the parasites. Getting them to return with their animals for treatment is difficult, but beginning to work. It is very hard to change centuries of a mindset, and that is the reality. Education makes a small difference, but even with government money it is hard to make them understand the importance of injectable drugs. Water is also an issue--just finding it. And getting them to understand where they and animals drink, and the placement of immersion baths. Finally, the best treatment is to get everyone treating their animals because the animals mix so frequently.

What does the future hold? Only time will tell. Small steps work. For Dr. Aba's complete resoures, please check below.

Llama Love

Even, or perhaps especially in a small herd, one animal stands out. For me, it has always been this very big girl. She was what started me on my way to learning llamas, and when our guard llama conceived, our white llama took over that job. Interesting how shifts in a herd population change, and how important animals are in the lives of those who love them.

As with any life, my has recently had its share of challenging times, but what anchors me in reality, what keeps me from self-indulgence is my animals. All of them, but especially the girls in the barn. The therapeutic value of knowing that no matter how you feel, or what the weather is, you get up, out, and take care of them. Like Benjamin Franklin's aphorism, "Take care of your shop and your shop will take care of you," the girls take good care of me. So too does my husband, and of course, my network of friends, like my herd, is small but just perfect. No one could ask for more.

But still, there's something in the nuzzle of a velvet soft face of a llama, their breath, which my breeder and I swear is healing, and that way that they sense need and deliver comfort, unasked but there, is all the motivation that I need each day to brave the elements (not hard today at 72 degrees and sunny) for a larger than life reward.