Extravaganza brings together alpaca backers

Those long eyelashes, big round eyes and intelligent gaze make it easy to see why alpacas enchant their owners. But it’s the luxurious coats on their backs that have alpaca farms springing up in the Rocky Mountains.

The Alpaca Holiday Extravaganza in Black Forest on Sunday showed off the docile  animals, the variety of products that can be made from their thick coats, and the growth of alpaca farming in this region.

Chuck Staley, of Pikes Peak Alpacas in Black Forest, said there are at least 10 times as many alpaca farms in the area today as there were when he began in 1996. Sure, people get into it to make money, but they also seem to love being with the animals.

“A lot of us still have full time jobs, but this is therapy,” said Chris Schade of the C Squared alpaca farm in Colorado Springs. He’s one of 25 members in the Southeastern Colorado Alpaca Breeders group, which put on the show. “Even if the chores are done when I get home, I visit the barns, see the babies, and get my alpaca fix.”

While the alpacas nibbled on the grass outside and sniffed curiously at children who ran their hands through the dense shag carpets on their backs, the rustic Black Forest Community Center was filled with alpaca blankets, scarves, socks, bags, coats, hats and gloves.

“The main goal is to educate people about alpacas,” said Sandy Smith, whose Black Forest Alpacas herd is 100 strong. “A lot of people in Colorado have never heard of alpacas, or haven’t seen them up close.

“But their temperament is great and they’re so darn cute. Plus, they produce a product you don’t have to kill the animal for.”

Alpacas are grazers related to llamas and camels. They hail from South America and their warm coats help them survive in the Andes mountains. That makes the mountains of Colorado a decent facsimile of their natural habitat – they don’t do as well in extreme heat and humidity, caretakers said.

Their coats are sheared once a year in the spring, Smith said, and this is how alpaca farmers make their money.

While it’s expensive, alpaca advocates say their fleece is warmer, stronger, more water-resistant and more lightweight than wool.

“The combination of being lighter and warmer is great for active people,” said Tsulan Balka of Lavender Fields Alpacas in Elizabeth.

Staley welcomes the influx of alpaca farms, hoping they’ll reach the critical mass necessary to move mills and processing into this country, instead of overseas processing.

For more information, go to the Southeastern Colorado Alpaca Breeders website at s-ecab.org.