With mops of shaggy hair flopping in front of bulging, alien-like eyes that stare with a mix of curiosity and cluelessness, the latest newcomers to the University of Massachusetts seem like they'd be more at home in the make believe world of Dr. Seuss.
HADLEY, Mass. — With mops of shaggy hair flopping in front of bulging, alien-like eyes that stare with a mix of curiosity and cluelessness, the latest newcomers to the University of Massachusetts seem like they'd be more at home in the make believe world of Dr. Seuss.
But the herd of alpacas -- wooly, long-necked natives of South America with a barely 20-year history in the United States -- are an increasingly popular sight in Massachusetts and on farms across the country.
The problem is that not too many people know how to care for them when they get sick or injured, which is why the creatures have made their way to the UMass animal farm in Hadley.
Thanks to a $500,000 gift from a Vermont family that breeds alpacas, the university has launched what it calls a first-of-its kind undergraduate program devoted to the study of camelids -- animals such as alpacas, camels and llamas that are a bit like horses, something like sheep and a little like cats.
"There are burning questions that need to be answered in terms of reproduction and immunology with alpacas," said Stephen Purdy, the program director. "If we can train classes of undergraduate students in alpaca care, we'll be able to supply a whole new breed of farm managers. These students will have no problems getting a job when they graduate."
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Talk to an alpaca farmer, and you're likely to hear that the attraction to the animals is based on a mix of love at first sight and the realization that the exotic creatures can be cash cows.
Most alpacas sell for anywhere between $15,000 and $50,000, but a top stud recently fetched $226,000 at auction, said Amy McCroskie, president of the New Jersey-based Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association. Although a few farmers specialize in shearing the animals' luxurious wool, most make their money in livestock sales.
"People just simply fall head-over-heels in love with the animals," said McCroskie, who owns about 100 alpacas on her Texas farm. "But when they start doing some research, they discover this could be a wonderful business."
Michael Murphy, president of the Midwest Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, said the federal government's allowance of up to $100,000 in tax write-offs for livestock has enticed many entrepreneurs to try their hand at alpaca farming.
"The average return on your alpacas right now is in the mid-20 percent range," said Murphy, who has 50 alpacas on his 12-acre Kansas farm. "Some people are getting as much as a 30 percent return on their investment."
And plenty of people are buying alpacas simply for a lifestyle change.
"We were ready for a new adventure," said Susan Rice. She had been a high school teacher for 25 years, and her husband is a former food scientist for Frito Lay.
"Our children were independent, and we had freedom to make a change," she said. "The lure of life in the slow lane after being in a Dallas suburb was so appealing."
Alpacas are relative newcomers to America. A small number were first imported in 1983, and the national herd has grown to about 70,000. The animals are relatively low maintenance. A few can live comfortably on a quarter acre of land with plenty of water and hay, and their padded feet mean they won't tear up a pasture.
But as easy as the animals are to manage, there aren't many places to turn if something goes wrong. Susan Rice is taking Purdy's camelid studies class to learn more about the animals, and the couple will likely turn to Purdy's students when it comes time to hire a full-time farm manager.
"There's definitely a shortage of people who know anything about camelids," she said. "And they're not inexpensive animals, so you want to be sure that you can have them taken care of pretty well."
Along with a peculiar reproductive system -- they have a horse-like uterine lining but ovulate like felines -- alpacas are easy prey for parasites. Much of the care and treatment for their breeding problems and health ailments are administered by trial and error simply because there haven't been widespread studies of camelids, Purdy said.
The animals spit when they're annoyed and whine when they're agitated. But they have a knack for hiding their weaknesses, so it takes a skilled observer to pick up on subtle symptoms of poor health, Purdy said.
Christine Navarre, a Louisiana State University veterinarian who specializes in camelid studies, said Purdy's program is the first undergraduate program of its kind that she's aware of.
"There are specialists who travel the country, but there are definitely shortages of vets for camelids," she said.
Jennifer and Ian Lutz recognized that need to train new vets as they built up their herd in Weathersfield, Vt., and decided to give UMass the money needed to start the camelid program.
The couple's Cas-Cad-Nac Farm isn't far from Purdy's home, and they began using him as their vet while they grew their handful of alpacas into a herd of 250. The farm, located on a slope of Mount Ascutney, takes its name from an Indian word for the mountain.
"Steve held our hands throughout the whole thing when we were getting started," Jennifer Lutz said. "We thought he was an amazing teacher and an amazing vet, so we thought we'd help move a program along at UMass if he would be involved in it."
Purdy's first camelid class that began this fall has 34 students.
"One of the most important things in caring for alpacas is to be a careful observer," Purdy said. "A big part of this business is figuring out what normal is. Then you need to know what to do when things look wrong."
Source: Associated Press
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