EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Two El Paso County farmers are working to rehabilitate a herd of alpacas after the animals were surrendered by their previous owners.
The farmers say the alpacas are severely underweight and in need of significant care to survive the coming winter.
Betzy VanTilborg, a local 4-H leader and alpaca lover, couldn’t say no when a friend asked if she would take in some alpacas in need of a home.
She says the previous owners of the herd of 10 inherited the alpacas with their house, and she says they did the right thing by giving them up, since the animals are in need of serious care.
“They just need to be checked out and make sure that they’re healthy enough to survive the winter,” VanTilborg said.
VanTilborg took in five of the animals, three females and two babies. She says the babies are about half the weight they should be at three months old. All five alpacas were wrapped in blankets on Monday since she says they lack the body fat to stay warm overnight.
These emaciated alpacas were taken in by an El Paso County farm after the animals were surrendered. (KDVR) These emaciated alpacas were taken in by an El Paso County farm after the animals were surrendered. (KDVR) These emaciated alpacas were taken in by an El Paso County farm after the animals were surrendered. (KDVR)
“It’s a monumental task to put weight on lactating female alpacas during the winter,” VanTilborg said.
The other five alpacas were taken in by Seth Cook, who has experience rescuing animals on his small farm.
“I worry that they won’t make it through the winter,” Cook said. “So staying on top of it so that they don’t have to struggle while they’re doing this, while they’re trying to get up and beefy and to the right weight.”
Cook and VanTilborg said the alpacas will require veterinary care, testing, and a special diet, all of which come at a high cost.
“It seemed like it was the right thing to do,” Cook said. “It was a very unfortunate situation where they needed to be in a new place and a new home.”
The farmers have launched an online fundraiser to help cover the costs of rehabilitating the alpacas.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
