Alpaca History

Alpacas and llamas were domesticated from their wild relatives, the guanaco and vicuña, around 6,000 years ago in the Andean highlands of South America. These remarkable animals provided ancient cultures with food, clothing, hides, fuel (in the form of manure), and even transportation. 

In 1989, Canada welcomed its first alpacas and llamas, opening the door to what would eventually become a burgeoning Canadian camelid fiber industry. However, in 2000, Canada closed its borders to the import of these animals, meaning that only alpacas bred from Canadian stock could be fully registered. By 2006, over 18,000 alpacas were registered in Canada, and globally, the alpaca population has surpassed 3 million. 

While the number of alpacas in Canada hasn't yet reached the scale needed to support a full-fledged commercial fiber industry, there’s already a vibrant cottage industry in place, with plenty of room for growth and potential for future expansion into large-scale production.

To learn more about these incredible creatures, visit http://www.alpacainfo.ca