An Outsider's Perspective

Jasper and Marcel

(rescued in 2002)

You know I'm really mad about this whole llama sanctuary thing.  Over a decade ago, I started calling local llama farms to learn more about llamas.  I met this very nice lady and as she was taking her llamas around to get bred she introduced me to all of "the right" people.  And when I say "the right" people, I mean the breeders and showers and stuff, you know, the ones who really matter, the ones who have the money.

The last place that she took me though, was horrific.  It was in southern Colorado and they had over 400 llamas at the time.  There was a dead Cria (a baby llama) on the ground, and many of the llamas had parts of their ears missing from being born in the winter without shelter to keep them warm.  She was there to drop off one of her llamas for a mating.  I only saw her one time after that and it was when we hosted a calendar shoot at The Royal Ranch and she was mad I had not bought a llama from her.  I will say, I can never be appreciative enough of her for introducing me to Bobra though.

I bring this up because it reminds me of the pics I am getting from Montana.  But the names don't ring a bell.  See, many moons ago, I got sick of playing the political game, and quit watching the tussle of power, and pulled out of the RMLA; the local llama association.  So I have become an outsider of "the right people".  I do, however, still know their names, and very few of them are on the helping list now.

Why did I get frustrated, you ask?  Because I rescued too many of their animals is why.  From people who had no idea what the hell they were doing.  One couple had llamas so fat they were about to explode on the amount of alfalfa hay and pellets they were eating.  They were surrendered because their home did not have the proper water well; the breeders never had the new llama owners check this or taught them how to feed and exercise them!

It has happened to us time and again.  We load up the trailer to pick up a rescue, I ask where the people got the llamas in the first place, I recognize the name from my previous "right" life and think WTH, why are these llamas ending up as rescues?  We load the boys, head home, get them in shape and either give them a job or get them a new home.  But my anger lies in where are those "right people" now?  Now that we have hundreds of llamas to save.