18/05/2026
Alpacas would have to be one of my favourite animals. As a knitter, I adore their fibre — soft, warm, and surprisingly durable — but it is their nature that keeps drawing me back to them. Working alongside alpacas has taught me just as much about boundaries, trust, and quiet confidence as it has about animal husbandry.
Alpacas are well known for spitting, though after working with them for several years, I have only been spat at once. I was new to caring for that particular herd, and the matriarch made it very clear that she was in charge. She was communicating in the language alpacas understand best: clear boundaries and herd order. Since that day, we have shared a mutual respect, and in many ways, that single moment deepened my respect for alpacas as a species.
People often misunderstand animal behaviour when they view it through a human lens. Spitting, alarm calling, or pushing another alpaca away from food is not cruelty or spite. These behaviours are part of a complex social structure that helps maintain safety within the herd. Alpacas are highly social prey animals, originally domesticated in the Andes Mountains, where survival depended on remaining alert and connected to the group. Isolation can cause significant stress for them, which is why alpacas should never be kept alone. At minimum, they need companionship from other alpacas to feel secure and settled.
The longer I work with animals, the more I believe our role as carers is not simply to provide food, water, and fencing. Good animal stewardship asks something deeper of us. It requires observation, patience, and a willingness to respect animals for what they are rather than what we expect them to be. Animals are constantly communicating with us, but many of us have forgotten how to listen.
One day — hopefully sooner rather than later — I dream of creating a regenerative fibre farm where alpacas will play an important role. Their fleece will become yarn for knitting, their manure will help build healthy soil, and their presence will act as a natural form of protection for smaller livestock. But beyond their practical value, I think alpacas will also serve as a daily reminder to stand my ground when needed, to protect what matters, and to respect the importance of strong boundaries — lessons they seem to understand far better than most humans do.
