ALPACAS - FROM THE ANDES TO AMERICA

by Pam North

It didn't take Bette Rittinger long to fall in love with alpacas.  It
began after she moved from Boulder in 1997 to a house situated on
seventeen acres of land near Magnolia Road in Boulder County.  She
wanted to use her property, so she tried boarding horses, but she soon
realized they were hard on the land.  Driving home from Colorado
Springs one day in 2001, she passed a livestock trailer carrying
alpacas, and she was immediately taken with their large, expressive
eyes and smiling mouths.  She followed up by browsing the website for
the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, and then she visited area
alpaca breeders.  Her research convinced her that alpacas were part of
her future.

The alpaca is a species of camelid, which also includes the llama,
vicuna and guanaco in South America.  Alpacas are modified ruminants
with a three-compartmented stomach; their feet have pads like dogs,
and two large toenails.  The young (crias) are born after a gestation
period of eleven months.  Adults are about 36 inches tall at the
withers, weigh about 150 pounds, and have a lifespan of about 20
years. Their luxuriant, dense fleece provides fiber for fabric as soft
as cashmere, and with more strength and warmth than wool.  They are
gentle, quiet, intelligent, easy to handle as pets and practical to
raise as investments (although they are pricey to purchase).

Alpacas have been domesticated for over 5,000 years in South America.
and were revered by the Incas.  Only royalty wore textiles woven with
alpaca fiber, which was uniquely suited to the harsh climate of the
Andes.  Alpacas became a basis for wealth in Peru, considered legal
tender or money.  When the Spaniards conquered Peru, the Incas and the
alpacas were almost wiped out, and it wasn't until the mid-1800s that
the alpaca was rediscovered by Sir Titus Salt of London, England.  The
soft, lustrous textiles he produced soon were in demand across Europe.

Outside of their native South America, alpacas are very limited in
number; 99% of the world's approximately 3 million alpacas are found
in Peru, Chile and Bolivia.  Live alpacas were imported to the United
States beginning in 1984, and there are now about 35,000 in this
country.

Bette Rittinger prepared for her venture by building roomy sheds and
fencing her property (called the Double B-R Ranch) against predators.
By July, 2001, she had purchased her first two females, then added a
pregnant third.  Further purchases and breeding have increased her
herd to twelve; Bette has determined that 12 to 15 alpacas are the
ideal-size herd for her pleasure and purposes at this time.  Sale of
their fleece after yearly shearings will cover the cost of the
animals' maintenance, and breeding and selling the offspring will
augment her retirement income.  

Shearing results in the "blanket" or "prime," which is the most
desirable fleece from the torso, and "seconds," which is the fleece
from the neck, belly and legs.  The sheared fleece is spread on a
skirting table, where the debris is removed; the fiber then is sent to
a mill to be washed, picked again and carded into roving, which
ultimately is spun into yarn.  The natural alpaca shades (22 in all,
from black, white, light and dark grays to varying tones of brown) can
be blended together to produce infinite variations, or the yarn can be
dyed other colors.

Bette thoroughly enjoys her alpacas, deriving a great sense of
pleasure from their company, and from wearing garments fashioned from
their exquisite fleece.  She envisions sharing her joy in her animals
with others by taking her alpacas to organizations, locations and
events where she can introduce the animals to people who haven't
before had the opportunity to become acquainted with alpacas.  Bette
says alpacas have a sense of calmness and serenity about them (they
emit a low-pitched humming sound that is almost meditative), and
people respond to that quality.  Bette also has plans for a
forthcoming Nederland retail store, which will feature clothing made
from alpaca fiber, and other handcrafted items from Central and South
America (currently she is merchandising a few such wares from a small
shop in her home).

Bette is quite happy to have her alpacas in her life; after all she
has an investment she can hug.