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| Leah |
One of the many types of animals that live at Majical Miniatures is the Llama. I have to admit, when I first started volunteering for the sanctuary, I was a bit nervous when I saw the herd of Llamas. I remembered my first experience as a child with one of these intriguing creatures. I could not wait to get up close enough to pet this large eyed animal with the soft curly fur that resembled a small camel. The Llama was not as excited to see me. As I reached out to pet her, she decided to SPIT on me. I do not mean a little spit but green, slimy, smelly cover my face spit! What I later learned was that Llama's rarely spit at humans and when they do, they are treating you as if you were one of the herd. The female Llama spits as a way to discipline or control herd members. I guess that meant she liked me. Nonetheless, I had no plans of getting that close to a Llama again until I met the herd at Majical Miniatures. It did not take long for me to fall in love with them. Especially, Leah with her big eyes and sweet face begging for you to pet her, Phantom, who may look like the Phantom but would have been more aptly named Shadow, as he follows anyone who walks by him and Priscilla, who seems to enjoy being the center of attention, strutting back & forth saying look at me.
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| Phantom |
I learned some interesting things about Llamas. They are very social animals and live in herds with other Llamas. Although, for thousands of years Llamas were pack animals in South America, in North America they are primarily guardians. A full size Llama will grow to be between 5 to 6 feet tall and can weigh between 280 and 450 lbs. Even the baby Llama or Cria will weigh between 20 to 30lbs at birth. They make excellent pack animals not only due to their size & strength, they can carry up to 30 percent of their body weight in a pack for several miles, but because they are very intelligent. After a few repetitions, they have the ability to learn simple tasks. This makes them perfect as guards too. Usually one gelding will guard a herd of sheep or other livestock. The addition of a Llama guard has all but eliminated livestock loss for many farmers. Many of the Llamas at Majical Miniatures are guards, helping to protect the other animals at the sanctuary.
If interested in sponsoring a Llama at Majical Miniatures please visit: http://www.majicalminiatures.org/sponsor.html
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| Priscila |
Llamas are grazers eating grass and many types of plants. Like cows, they regurgitate their food chewing on it for long periods. In addition to grazing, at Majical Miniatures the Llamas eat a regular diet of hay, grain and fresh flowers and on occasion, fresh fruits and vegetables for a treat.
