I love shearing day. It’s full of promise for a new year, an event that signals we’ve survived another winter, and frankly, it’s hilarious. Alpacas, who are never really dignified, look absolutely ridiculous after they’ve been sheared. And they’re quite silly during the process as well.
We’ll have several posts from the day, but I’m starting with the funniest. We had ten animals to shear, each with their own personality and way of reacting to the process. Marcello made high-pitched little squeaks so mechanical that the boys nick-named him R2D2. Brittany spit all over everyone. And timid Tulip, our sweetest girl, barely had the strength to face the ordeal.
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- Ok, step 1, remove alpaca from stall.
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- Two steps forward…and she’s down.
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- “You can’t see me, because I can’t see you. There is no alpaca here, nothing to shear.”
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- And…up again…
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- …for about two more steps. “I don’t have the strength to stand, just leave me here.”
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- Almost there…and on the ground again. “It’s really too much to bear.”
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- …and on the table! Now there’s no hope.
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- The final indignity…the long walk back to the stall, completely naked. Actually, Tulip ran back to the stall.
Poor girl, such a terrible thing to go through!
Cliff House Alpacas 