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| P&CW's Paulina |
This afternoon our veteran female alpaca, Van, brought a new cria into the world. Little Paulina is a bright-eyed gentle gal, who is curious, friendly, and eager to learn her new surroundings. Since the alpaca herd has been "working" the front acres this summer, keeping the green growth mowed, Van was none-too-happy to be hauled up to a smaller enclosure attached to the barn a few nights ago; however, the weather had turned stormy and her body indicated that she was due to give birth on schedule, so we moved her to a spot of greater safety. At the time I put our littlest goat kid, Lorraine, in with her for a companion, but Paulina is the gal Van would rather spend her time with, so little Lorraine got returned to her herd today.
Crias are so much softer and meeker than kids. As a rule, alpacas are gentler than goats--except when they kick in self-defense. A strong kick from an angry alpaca beats being run down by a goat any day.
After suffering through her initial physical exam, and passing, little Paulina happily soaked up the mid-afternoon sun beside her dam and looked wide-eyed at her strange, new world. We left fresh water and feed for Van then did the new momma's bidding and left the pair alone.
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