Bit of a bad hair day- it gets us all in the end.

It comes to us all in the end and it's only in the past four years after 17 years of breeding alpacas that we have had to come to terms lately with caring for old and geriatric alpacas.

This is Accoyo Cornelius one of our foundation sires now 16 years of age. I have no idea what that would be in alpaca years but given that the maximum lifespan would be about 20 and on the altiplano I guess 10-12 would be about the limit. He was born on import in utero 16 UK years ago which
makes him seriously geriatric. He has two years fleece on him here and as you can see like an old care home resident his tired old locks have  a mind of their own.

He still gets around well if a little slower than he once did. He is sound in mind and body and passes his days munching and looking as all alpacas do. His glory days of being Show Champion with a string of ladies sitting for his attention might be rapidly transforming into a distant dream but he still shows an interest when a young good looking maiden passes on the wind.

His descendants march on with the best of him inside them as he reminisces about his glory days. Does he recognise them as they pass his retirement paddock, I doubt it but on a warn sunny day in early summer we'd like to think so. He will be sheared next week because he must be and we pray for a mild winter so he will still be munching this time next year to see another spring.