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Brief History of The Alpaca
(Voir cette page en français)
Alpacas (Llama Pacos) are small endearing animals and member of the camelid family. Yes, the camel...! There are six living species from this family including the Camel, the Dromedary, Llama, Guanaco, Vicuna and finally, the Alpaca. Peru, Bolivia, and Chile are still home to the largest percentage of alpacas in the world.
They were domesticated over 5,000 years ago and became a cherished treasure of the ancient Incan civilization. Their fine cashmere-like fleece was reserved solely for royalty. These amazing animals provided the food, fuel and clothing for a civilization that thrived in an otherwise hostile environment.
There are two types of alpacas: the Huacaya (pronounce "Wa-Ka-Ya") and the Suri. Approximately 90% of all the alpacas in the world are Huacaya race. The Huacaya has a full, fluffy appearance, while the Suri is elegantly draped in long pencil locks.
 
Suri on the left and Huacaya on the right
Alpacas are the only animals in the world that come in so many different colors. Twenty-Two are officially recognized.
It's in the middle of the 1980's that the first alpacas made their appearance in Canada. However, it's only on January 2, 1992 that the first mass of alpacas, coming from Chile, landed in Canada. Before their entry within the country, these alpacas, which had been bought by a small group of farmers and Canadian investors, had to pass nearly one year and a half in quarantine in New Zealand.
At their arrival in Canada, on board a Boeing 747, the 362 alpacas were quarantined again for 150 days by the federal government. Of this number, 170 alpacas were in Alberta and 192 in Quebec.
Following these 150 days, the 362 alpacas were placed in six farms chosen by the federal government. It's only a year and a half later, at the end of 1994, that the federal government ceased having a very tight control on the alpaca. It's only at that time that this industry really began in Canada.
A strong breed association known as the Canadian Alpaca Breeders Association (CABA) was formed very early on by these original alpaca owners. This original association had members from across the country and was actively involved in public awareness and education activities, as well as in promoting the development of the alpaca breeding and fibre industry.
The Canadian Llama Association, which originally only administered a registry for llamas, set up a similar registry for alpacas, and in 1996 the association formally changed its name to the Canadian Llama and Alpaca Association (CLAA). The CLAA was also responsible for setting and supervising screening standards which would ensure that the quality of imported, non-pedigree alpacas entering the registry would be a positive influence on the make up of the national herd. As of December 31, 2000, the Canadian registry has been closed for the registration of non-pedigree alpacas. It should also be noted that federal government legislation governs the running of livestock registries in Canada and prevents the establishment of any competing registries in Canada.
The Canadian alpaca industry enjoys a great deal of credibility because each animal that has been entered into the registry has been blood typed or DNA processed. This gives tremendous certainty to the pedigrees of Canadian registered alpacas. While this was an expensive first step for a budding industry, it has provided a very solid foundation for an industry Canadians can be proud of.
Today, one estimates a number at more than three million of alpacas in the whole world. The majority of them are still in South America (Chile, Bolivia & Peru). In North America, we estimate the number of alpacas at more than 50,000. As of January of 2006, the national herd of Canada numbered over 16,000 CLAA registered alpacas distributed in over 400 farms & ranches.
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