New Zealand Llama Association

By Anne Thompson

Okay, so what is a working llama? Well, for me it is the llama that will come up for a cuddle when I have a stress headache, for Keith Payne it is the llama that will carry his gear for a weekend’s trekking. For Uta Bleidistel it is a quiet animal that she can confidently walk through the living room of a rest home, and for Francis Woolley it is a calm and inquisitive llama that will interact with members of the public. I am sure that you can add to this list through your own interactions with your llamas (just cast aside those memories of toenail trimming and vaccinations while you do it).

Last year we introduced new classes to the show schedule in celebration of the working llama. The old ‘performance’ classes were cast aside to be replaced with Trail Skills classes in order to suppress the image of a novelty animal that can walk around a balloon slalom or across a stretch of carpet and replace it with the picture of an animal that can cross a bridge, climb a ramp, and walk past succulent plantings without gorging themselves along the way.

Following on from this Naomi and I were discussing ways to promote the ‘Working Llama’. And between us we came up with the idea of making 2012 the Year of the Working Llama. Always one to push boundaries I decided to approach ‘The Americans’ in order to make it The International Year of the Working Llama, and was delighted when they enthusiastically came on board.

This is a fantastic opportunity for us to promote llamas, to educate people whose entire knowledge of llamas comes from movies which so often seem to present them as bad tempered and spitty, and to put to bed the question, “What do you do with a llama?” Here are a few ideas, if you can think of more please let Julie know and she can add them to the next magazine.

1. Organise a llama walk around your local park or wetlands. Llamas are generally welcome but if you are not sure ring your local council or DoC. You will be amazed at how many people stop and talk to you, and the majority will leave with a big smile on their face – the Therapy llama at play.
2. Contact a local rest home and see if they would like a visit. Frightened they will mess inside? Here’s a tip – take a small bag of llama poo with you. Empty it onto a patch of grass and let your llama sniff it. They will want to mark their patch too, so will usually go there and then. Just don’t forget to clear it up before you leave, or sprinkle it around a tree.
3. Contact your local A&P show and see if they would like you to attend with a couple of llamas. Most are delighted to accommodate you free of charge. If you have a pack, put it on your llama and talk to people about packing.
4. Organise a pack trial locally. Judy Webby is hosting one in March and has offered to loan people a llama so that they can learn more. Of course she is now frantically pack training llamas for people who have jumped at the chance of paying to walk a llama. Keith Payne, Craig Woodham and Lynn Barrett are all trained examiners for the pack trials, and may be available to come and certify your animals.
5. Contact your local school and see if they would like llamas at their Pet Day.
6. Contact your local pet shop and see if they have special promotion days. My local pet shop pays me $100 a weekend to attend their special pet days, which more than pays for the petrol.

All the above are examples of working llamas, even if the llamas do not appear to be doing much. That is the beauty of a llama – even at rest they have amazing therapeutic qualities. So, in celebration of the working llama – Welcome to 2012, The International Year of the Working Llama.