Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1920-10-08
HAVE HIGH VALUE
Four South American Animals OF
Great Utility.
The Llama in Particular, Well Called
snip of the Desert" Is Prized--
Alpaca Is Bred for Its
Splendid Fleece.

Nhen hrSt seeing a llama, an alpaca
Vlcuna or a guanaco, in their native
habitat your first comment would be:
ZOO big for a sheep, too small for a
camel, yet looks like both" while you
might add mentally, as die the yokel
when he saw the giraffe at the circus:
There amt no such animal" These
extraordinary creatures, little known
outside Of the southern Andean re
glon of South America, have their
range from southern Ecuador through
the elevated plateQus of Peru and 30
l1Via southwark along the high Andes
10 the plains of Patagonia and TERN
del Fuego. All are Of the very high
est utility for mems needs for food and
clothing.
The four are merely different breeds
OF the same race varying only as they
nave been bred in domesticity for GER
tain specialized purposes, or modified
By their environment when left IN
hampered in their native wilds. Pos
sesslng a head like sheep, a sway
ing, curved neck like q camel, with
out the camelAs hump but drawn In at
the wtthers like the camel and with the
Gamers "wobbly" look, apparently in
securely braced upon its tall, slender
legs With the cancels cushion-like
splay feet the ilamns undoubtedly be-
long to the camel family. They have
the camelS nature for though more
vizilont than the camel, they possess
the same dull fmperturability, and
their identical stubborn, Inor0se Hspo-
sition. and seem to consider man their
hereditary foe only to be obeyed by
compulsion and with spitoful spittings
and groans.
The llama family In prehistoric
times had q much wider range than
at present, their fossil remains being
found from the republic of Colombia
northWard to Central America and
even as far north as central Colorado.
The llama and alpaca are domesticat-
cd, the cuanaco and vjcuna are still in
the wild state, and this Is one Of the
instances where domeSticGtet animals
range co-eXistent with their Wild CON
geners, OF the four kinds the guiana
co IS the most numerous, end is found
in bands Of TO 500, ana while con
fined 70 the high table lands elsewhere
IL Patagonia their range Is over the
plains and lower lands as we'll.
Both the guanaco and vicuna are
easily tanned and readily take to cap
tvtty, and from the wild guanaco and
vfcuna have sprung thu d0meSticQted
llama and alpaca. The alpaca is kept
upon the wild uplands near the eter-
nal SHOWS and is only driven In to be
shorn Of its beautiful fleece of black
or brown wool, which is so long that
It often falls over Its sides and back
Ike curling cascade reaching to the
ground.
When PtZarro and his fellow con
quistadores conquered the aboriginal
Peruvians they found the llama the
only domestfcated beast Of burden.
Under Spanish domination more than
100000 llamas were used to carry sill
yer from the mines to the seacoaSt. but
the coming of the horse, the burro, and
more than all else the railway is grad
ually running 1t out, as 1t is timid and
show, and can travel with its 1ONpound
pack only II to 10 miles q day; yet
it retains certain advantage, as It is
never fed on the trail but forages It's
own living.