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| It's Chili! |
Happy Friday! Today we bring you llama facts! Llamas? But they’re not primates? At the sanctuary, we have other residents,
including Minnie the donkey, Whisky and Seek the horses and Chili the llama. Chili is a fun-loving llama. He happily runs down the pasture and enjoys
play-dates with his doggie friend Bosley.
When Bosley was a puppy, they would romp and play for hours in the
grass. They still look forward to their
time together. Chili is curious,
especially when we are unloading groceries from the car. One day, one of the
volunteers left her trunk open while unloading and Chili took it as a buffet,
standing behind the car and eating the fresh veggies right out of the
trunk! He spends time near Pockets, and
when I am giving the monkeys bananas outside, Chili always gets the peels, so
everyone has a share.
Did you know?
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Llamas are members of the camelid, or camel,
family and are related to alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas
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They are hearty animals, living high in the
Andes Mountain in rough terrain where indigenous peoples have used them as pack
animals for hundreds of years. People
also use their wool as it is very soft and lanolin free.
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People also use llamas to guard livestock
from predators
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An adult llama can weigh up to 250 pounds. A baby llama is called a cria and weighs
between 20 to 30 pounds.
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Gestation is around 350 days – almost one
year! At the time of birth all the
female or Dams of the herd gather around to protect the birthing mother and her
cria. Birth is usually quick and
problem-free, over in less than 30 minutes and done while standing.
·
Llamas are herbivores who graze on grass and,
like cows, regurgitate their food and chew it as cud. They chomp on wads for
some time before swallowing them for complete digestion. Llamas can survive by
eating many different kinds of plants and they need little water.
·
If a llama get annoyed, they pull back their
ears and spit. Chili is a happy sweet
guy, so that has never happened!
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Llamas are social animals and prefer to live
with other llamas or herd animals. Chili
enjoys being part of the SBFPS herd along with Minnie and Whisky. He is still working out his relationship with
Seek, as she is the new girl on the block.
