'Waratah', a two-week-old, long-wool llama could well become a family pet, free of any pressure to produce fibre, according to Sutton camelid farmer Glynda Bluhm.
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"People buy llamas because they fall in love with them, they get addicted," Ms Bluhm said. "They want an animal that is elegant, a decent size. It is the size of a horse but eats a lot less and is safer, and you can shear it."
Waratah will be weaned when she's six months old, and aside from breeding and fibre production, may not match the broad appeal of male llamas, which are bought as livestock guardians, or for harness work or simply to carry a pack for bushwalkers.
"The sort of people who would own a dog or horse would be attracted to a llama, whereas the sort of people attracted to a cat might be more interested in an alpaca," Ms Bluhm said. Llamas can fetch from $2000 to $20,000, while alpacas are sold from $350 to $5000.
Ms Bluhm sells llamas and alpacas to owners of small herds who enjoy their animals as hobby, and older folk who prefer llamas because they are easier to handle, a temperament that developed over thousands of years of breeding and culling of pack-carrying llamas. She has also bred llapacas, a cross between a llama and an alpaca
During her property' Alpaca Magic's' open day, inquisitive llamas and alpacas welcome strangers, but while checking out their cars, also look out for dogs, a long-time enemy. For this reason they are sometimes used to protect flocks of lambing ewes against foxes, which are a menace in Canberra's suburbs as well.
Ms Bluhm said some people still didn't realise the destruction foxes caused killing livestock and causing stress.
"I have seen my llamas after a fox and it looks a bit like a scene from people riding horses with their hounds in Britain. All these llamas, horse-sized, tearing along and this poor little fox tearing along. It saves itself by jumping through the fence. Llamas will think, 'I can't get through the fence,' but will chase the fox along a fence.
"Ever since then the fox seems to do a large skirt around that paddock, it doesn't want go do through diagonally, isn't that amazing?"
Her animals are shorn in November to keep cool and free of grass seeds over summer. Fleeces are sent to a co-op in Victoria, or processed into tops. Hand-made alpaca garments can fetch a premium.
In 2013 the Royal Canberra Show promoted alpacas for their meat, to broaden their appeal for commercial breeders, but Ms Bluhm has no taste for such an option. "I don't like it very much, but it doesn't mean to say I object to it, I just don't want it for my animals," she said..
