Family Ties

The more and more time you spend around alpacas, you realize how smart they truly are. Not only do they know their name, but they also know who their "family members" are. It's amazing when you go to the barn and see brothers laying together or find an entire family of sisters camping out together. One specific "family" in our herd, that are very close, is Morgan Moon and her three daughters. Morgan's first little girl, Zoey, was born in 2008. Her second daughter, Kenlee, was born in 2011. Morgan's third daughter, Kamber, was born in 2012. Over the years as Morgan has welcomed a new cria to her family, she hasn't forgotten the others, and more importantly they haven't forgotten each other. This year when Kamber reached four months old, she and her mother were put back with the rest of the herd. Ever since, the "family" has stuck to each other like glue. Each night we have noticed that Kamber, Kenlee, and Zoey have laid next to their mother, in a row. Morgan is very accepting that each of her girls still want to be around her. The most adorable sight we have seen with these three girls was in the pasture. In our largest pasture, where there is plenty of space for each alpaca to find their own space of green grass, we found the three sisters grazing together. Even with four years between the oldest and youngest and Zoey ready to welcome a cria of her own; they are able to tell that they are family. Our experience with these girls opened our eyes and clarified how smart these animals are, and how even animals have and recognize their family ties.