Llamas llove the Valley

MAT-SU - The barn was crowded with 27 llamas. The woolly creatures produced occasional quiet lowing noises and jostled one another for access to the hay that had just been put out. Some even went so far as to place their front feet in the trough.

The llamas belong to Glenn and Claudia Roberts, and are part of the North Star Farm on Hyer Road.

The farms unusual focus began as a rebellious desire.

We did it because it was unusual. It was different. Anyone can raise horses and cows, but llamas are unique.

In the early 1980s, the Roberts first Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend checks went to buy their first llama. Although the animals can cost up to $10,000, their first only cost them $1,350.

The Roberts naming scheme started with their first llama, Irwin Rommel. Montgomery, Omar Bradley, Eisenhower, Oliver Stone, Gavin, and Stormin Norman Schwartzkopf all followed.

After they had bought their first couple of llamas, the Roberts decided they wanted to become seriously involved, and began to attend one international llama convention a year. The wall of their barn sports a half dozen pictures of convention cars with llama license plates.

That was the fad one year, Roberts reminisced. Everyone got their license plates done up. Ours is right there, he said, pointing to a tag that said, ZLLAMA.

The Roberts interest in llamas stems mainly from the fact that they can be used as pack animals. The llamas start their training when they are about 2-1/2 years old.

We start their training by loading them into the Llama Limo.

Roberts said, gesturing toward a half-ton Chevy van with the back seats removed. We drive them around for a while to get them used to traveling. The ones that are used to it lay down. The ones that arent, stand up and are skittish.

Next, we bring them on trips as back-ups for the more experienced llamas, Roberts said. When the llama is young and healthy, it can carry approximately one-third of its weight, which amounts to about 75 pounds.

Even with the load, llamas tend to do well on rough terrain.

Weve brought llamas into the Wrangells, the Chugach, and the Talkeetnas, he said. They do real well, even when the going is tough.

The fact that the breed originated in the South American Andes might

contribute to the llamas level of comfort in mountainous regions.

Even though the Roberts use llamas as pack animals, they still care about them. The Palmer vets office has become quite familiar with the Roberts and their llamas.

The llamas are real resistant to disease, but they have a penchant for plastic, Roberts said. We had one a while back that swallowed a bunch of black Visqueen, and another that ate some plastic cord.

Roberts equated the llamas intelligence with that of a dog.

The pendulum swings. There are some that are real smart, and there are some that really struggle. The ones that ate the plastic probably werent too bright.

They respond to their names, but theyre more like cats with their affection on their terms, when they feel like it, he said.

But that doesnt mean the Roberts are stingy with their own affection.

The llamas are like our children, Roberts said. The barn shows the husband and wife are telling the truth. Several old street-sweeper brushes are stacked near the entrance to the barn.

The llamas love them, Roberts said. They rub up against them and leave some of their wool.

This attention to their animals comforts also extends to the business part of owning the llamas.

We are very careful of who we sell the llamas to. We dont rent them out to anyone, he said.

This fall, the Roberts had to rescue their llama, General Ridgeway, from a person in Soldotna. The person wasnt ready for the amount of work. Maybe there was a life change. The person wasnt able to care for him anymore, so we bought him back. I think that both are better off now.

The Roberts also make provisions for their Italian sheep dog, Trooper, who watches the llamas. Roberts is proud of the dogs dedication.

Hes never spent a single night inside since we got him, he said.

Roberts pulled back the corner of the sleeping bag on which the dog slept to reveal a heating pad. On the cold nights, we just turn this on, and hes nice and toasty. You could call us real animal-lovers, I guess, Roberts said.

In addition to their llamas, the Roberts keep two dogs, six chickens, six Amazon parrots, a squirrel, and 25 pigeons.

The pigeons theyre not much better than rats with wings. It would be fine if there were just a few of them we named the first pair Momma and Poppa P but they keep laying eggs. We have about five or six pairs now. They lay eggs every two to three weeks, so I haul out the ladder and collect them, then feed them to Trooper. He likes them.

Roberts summed up his experiences living and working on a llama farm.

Raising llamas is a lifestyle, he said. Claudia and I love it, but we have to work to keep it up. During the day, Im a contractor.

At night, and in the early morning, he is a servant for his llamas.

Its a lot of work. Some people go into it thinking, Oh, itd be fun to

have a llama, but dont realize the effort. A person has to be very committed for it to work, for the llamas to be well-cared for. What we have here at the farm is just about everything a llama could want, but it took a lot of work to get it this way.Photo: Heres looking at you, kid.

Llamas are anything but camera shy, as the handsome fellow above demonstrates. Left, a sign welcomes visitors to the North Star Farm owned and operated by Clenn and Claudia Roberts. Below right, a group of the Roberts llamas takes time to relax in the barn on the Roberts llama farm.

Photo by CLARE BALDWIN.