Eric and Ashley Thesen from Belvedere Farm, situated near Ngatimoti on the Motueka river, are not your average stock breeders. The size of their seven acre property has encouraged imaginative diversification into high value breeding stock such as Kune pigs, Gotland Pelt sheep and the most striking, the Chilean llama.
Hard working pack animals, male llama have been used as beasts of burden in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes Mountains for more than 4,000 years. The Incas domesticated them for food, fibre, fuel, transport and religious ceremonies.
This primitive South American ruminant (primitive in that while not being true ruminants, they do have three stomachs instead of four, and chew cud, and so should be treated as such) has been domesticated from the wild Guanaco. It stands 0.9 to 1.3 metres high at the shoulder and is usually white, blotched with black and brown. The females have an 11-11 ½ month gestation period and give birth to one offspring once a year generally between 10am and 2pm with an ability to delay birthing during inclement weather or periods of stress.
The Thesens, both originally from South Africa, have lived in New Zealand for seven years and first became interested in llama while living on Waiheke Island, starting with the beginners breeding package of 2 pregnant females which they have stayed with, selling the progeny. They moved to the Motueka River Valley two years ago.
"By our second year we had got back our initial investment plus a small profit and still retained two breeding females" Ashley explained. " The average price for a male is upwards of a $1,000. However a stud quality male can attain a value in excess of $40,000. Llamas can breed for around 25 years and so a stud male can generate a significant income."
A castrated male llama will still fetch around $500 as a pet whilst proven breeding females can sell for upwards of $10,000 and can also be bred for 25 years.
Llamas were introduced about 15 years ago and the price has fluctuated little. Stock is generally easy to sell and despite the relatively slow breeding rate, the market appears to be increasing at a similar rate.
In many ways they appear to be a good option on smaller lifestyle properties. An intelligent and sensible creature with low maintenance, they do well on rough ground and may in fact suffer from obesity on good pasture. Their feet require trimming annually and this along with drenching and shearing can be performed on a halter, so eliminating the need for special yarding.
They are subject to similar diseases as sheep, such as facial eczema and pulpy kidney but very seldom need veterinarian assistance.
"We have one female here that we've had for 6 years. She is one of the original breeding pair. In that time she has produced 5 healthy cria and has never needed any veterinary intervention." Ashley said.
With larger herds the fibre can also generate an income. While the hollow fibre from an Alpaca has a higher value, the best quality llama fibre can still fetch up to $100/kg, despite the presence of thicker guard hairs.
"There's no lanolin in the fibre so it doesn't require cleaning, the spinners can buy it literally off the animals back and spin it."
The llamas are also a draw card for the Thesens other farm enterprises, the bed and breakfast farm stay, drift boat fishing tours using Eric's own dories, and the large organic vegetable and flower gardens. Ashley is currently studying animal homeopathy and intends to set up her practice on the property.
They plan to utilise the llamas other attributes too, that of a pack animal. Whether simply for walking along the nearby Motueka River or possibly eventually on longer overnight guided fishing trips.
"They are a very pleasant companion to walk with," Ashley described, "not as heavy to lead as a horse, they don't have to eat or drink of up to five days on a trek, and while they can't carry a heavy weight like a mule, they can carry up to 25 kilos for 24 hours."
"Llamas are very low impact with soft pads like a dog, they do very little damage, and in the United States are allowed in some National Parks areas. Llama owners here hope for a similar situation eventually with DOC."
Ashley feels some people have a problem relating to the animals as they are very exotic looking and a lot of money to invest in a single stock animal. The returns are good but the initial investment high. People seldom go out and buy a herd of llamas, and this puts them in the 'lifestyle' bracket, and much of the market in New Zealand is in the pet value.
"There is perhaps a tendency to see them as a 'fluffy hobby farm animal' which doesn't really do justice to what is a low maintenance, high return farm animal. The fact that they are gentle and intelligent should really be seen as an added advantage."
