IN THE SPOTLIGHT
gently on the neck or back.” “You can’t have just one alpaca,” said Brandon Tenney, 16, who helps his family raise alpacas in Catlett, Virginia. “They’re very social animals.” The Alpaca Owners Association notes, “Alpacas have very strong herding instincts and need the companionship of other alpacas to thrive.”
“There’s a leader in each pasture,” Brandon said. Alpacas are very curious, so when something new comes near, the whole bunch will follow the leader, often running together to get a better view, whether it’s of a person or another animal.
Brandon, a high school junior, and his sister Danielle, 20, have been helping raise their family’s alpacas for 11 years. The day starts at 5:30 a.m., with chores including feeding the 51 alpacas, cleaning their stalls, and making sure there is plenty of water and hay available.
Danielle jokes that she schedules college classes around alpaca feeding times.
Brandon is tuned in to each alpaca’s personality.
“They’re all different,” he said, noting that alpacas display emotions much like humans do. Around dusk, his family loves watching their alpacas engage in pronking - a playful, bouncing run signifying a happy feeling.