Uinta Valley Pack Llamas
Our 2 Guanaco Studs & Female Guanaco
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Guanacos live on land high in the Andes mountains—up to 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) above sea level—as well as on the lower plateaus, plains, and coastlines of Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
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Guanaco populations today are just 5 percent of what they were when Europeans first arrived on the continent. Back then, more than 50 million guanacos roamed South America but were hunted for their warm wool. Now they thrive in areas protected by law.
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Guanacos can run 35 miles an hour, which is almost as fast as a tiger. They have evolved to be able to run fast from predators because the environments where they live don’t have many hiding spots.
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Guanacos are considered one of the most adaptable animals in the world. They can survive extreme conditions, including fierce winds and heavy snow.
Llamas are the domesticated form of the guanaco, and these two species share the same coarse hair which in Inca times was ‘only fit for commoners’ clothes’ (in reality the undercoat is extremely soft, although not as soft as alpaca wool). Ever since their domestication about 5000 years ago llamas have been used predominantly as pack animals and in many parts of the Andes they are still the only form of transportation. They are also used for their meat, wool and they make pretty good guard animals.
*Our goal is to bred back the guanaco genetics to llamas to improve conformation and packing abilities.
If you are really wanting to know more about guanaco please take some time and read these articles by our good friend in New Zealand, Keith. He has a very large herd of guanacos and has studied them. (Click on the pictures for articles to pop open)