Tibary scoops up a handful of hay pellets, but Mariah turns away from it. Two others working with Tibary to understand Mariah s problem, primary clinician Steven Parish and George Barrington , have discovered a slight abnormality in the llama s soft palate, but that alone shouldn t interfere with Mariah s eating. The majority of baby llamas called crias are weaned by 4-6 months old, and even at a few weeks of age, they will nibble grass. But in a herd structure, young llamas can nurse with their mothers for up to a year. It s the mystery of Mariah, and all camelids for that matter, that fuels Tibary s work and life.
Every case is something new.
Tibary is one of the world s few and highly regarded camelid reproduction specialists, based at WSU s College of Veterinary Medicine since August 1998. The large animal theriogenologist works on animal gynecology, obstetrics and artificial breeding of horses, cattle and camelids. His objective at WSU is to continue his work in comparative theriogenology, with the hope of developing a strong research, teaching and service program, in particular for camelids. Such expertise is much needed in the region. Washington, Oregon and Idaho have the largest concentrations of camelids in North America.