Alpacas: Hardy, low-maintenance animals

Ruth Nicolaus
Apr 5, 2023
Apr 5, 2023

1 of 5

A cria – a baby alpaca.

Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

5 alpaca in winter by melanie bonacci.jpg

Alpacas are hardy animals. The cold rarely bothers them.

Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

Alpaca fiber is soft and fine and comes in more colors than llama fiber.

Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

Even though Bonacci provides shelter to her alpacas, they prefer to be out in the rain and the cold.

Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

An inquisitive alpaca nose greets a person.

Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

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Ruth Nicolaus

The alpaca is an animal native to the Andes Mountains of South America, but the animal can be found on hobby farms around the Midwest.

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2 alpaca by melanie bonacci.jpg — An alpaca sticks his nose over the fence.
Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

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3 alpaca by melanie bonacci.jpg — Alpacas are low maintenance hardy animals native to the Andes Mountains in South America.
Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

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4 alpaca and cria by melanie bonacci.jpg — A mother alpaca and her cria. Alpacas give birth easily.
Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

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6 alpaca by melanie bonacci.jpg — Alpacas (and a mini donkey) look up as a person approaches.
Photo courtesy Melanie Bonacci

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Freelance writer Ruth Nicolaus loves (nearly) everything about the Great Plains, but mostly its people. She lives in eastern Nebraska. Reach her at editorial@midwestmessenger.com.