Have you been Walking with Alpacas? If not you may be wondering what the hype is all about!

A decade ago, few people would be able to say they'd walked an alpaca! These days, it's not quite so unusual! There are quite a few alpaca farms in the UK and many of them offer alpaca walking or alpaca experiences. But why has this unusual experience become so popular? 

I don't think there's a firm singular answer,  but rather a lot of highly probable answers! Let's address a few of them! Firstly, but not foremost in my opinion, is how incredibly adorable alpacas are! How can you look any cuter in your Insta posts or Facebook profile photo, than posing for a selfie with the fluffiest of animals!

I totally agree, their sumptuous fleeces and cuteness can't and shouldn't be underestimated, but there's so much more to these wonderful sentient creatures. And this is why I think walking with alpacas has really become as popular as it has. Alpacas are gentle, kind and sweet. They are unassuming yet smart. A walk with alpacas is nothing like a walk with a canine friend! To begin with, most alpacas are not on a mission to reach the next lamp post! They're not sniffing the ground or desperate to get to the park. Alpacas live in the moment. Alpacas walk at a pace that suits them. They stroll a few steps then stop to taste the grass, pull a few leaves from the tree or snaffle a mouthful of a tasty bush! They don't rush, in fact rushing just isn't in their vocabulary! Alpaca walking is about relaxing - enjoying the company of a beautiful and laid back animal, whilst you notice the birds singing above, the bees buzzing in the hedgerow and the crickets hopping in the grass. Walking an alpaca is in itself incredibly relaxing. The 'alpaca pace' is soothing to the soul and for the time you're strolling, you really do forget your troubles, as the little bubble you're in with your alpaca buddy, really is all you need right there and then.

Then there's the big soulful eyes. Yes they're on the look out for 'predators' and yes walking an alpaca and coming across an unsuspecting dog off a lead, can lead to one very panicked alpaca! But when they're relaxed and walking alongside you, those eyes have immense depth! Their souls are almost on display through their beautiful long lashes. There's a level of trust, of knowing you are enjoying your alpaca walking and they are enjoying it too. They're curious about the world around them and they'll be the first to spot the deer ahead, the red kite hovering above and the rabbits bouncing through the corn field next door. Watch them and take a step or two in their 'shoes' and you'll see that life as an alpaca is mostly a life of calmness and living in the moment.

Walking with alpacas also gives you a unique insight into a fascinating herd dynamic. Just as we love and protect our family and friends, alpacas seem to feel the same. Before every walk we tell our guests about our herd order and how that pans out during a walk with alpacas. Just like us there are leaders, followers and those that like to be safe in the middle of a big group. There are the pioneers, the ones that seek out mischief and those that always look for the quiet life!  When you come alpaca walking at Middle England Farm we try and pair you up with an alpaca that suits you! If you prefer a slow paced kind of life we have Achilles and Alcatraz, happily pottering away behind, taking their sweet time and enjoying being out of their paddock, without any need to rush. But if you're the kind of person who always like to be at the front, taking the lead, stepping out and showing the way, Apollo and Pan are your boys. Their inquisitive personalities and intuition help them to be the trailblazers that give the others the 'confidence' to follow.

Then there's the 'naughty' or the 'cheeky' ones as we call them.... These are the alpacas that don't quite play by the rules. The ones that go 'hey, I want to walk at the front now!' 'Hey I've changed my mind and I'm going to the back!' 'Why are we walking this slow today? 'Why are walking this fast right now'? These are the rebels of the alpaca world and whilst there are always a couple in every herd, there's also just as many alpaca walkers who like nothing more than the free spirits exhibited by these more unique individuals! That's why we often use the phrase, 'there really is an alpaca for everyone'!

But are alpacas just the perfect walking partner or is there more to these fluffy, smart creatures that are scared of a bird but strong enough to chase off a fox?

Of course, there's so very much more. Horses, cats, dogs, etc, have been used in animal therapy for many years. Their 'domestication' has put them as forerunners to help people in need of therapy. Gentleness, unassumingness, love of being around humans, companionship, empathy and the ability to live in the moment, are some of the many traits that are important when it comes to animal therapy. However, many people don't realise alpacas are also domesticated. Alpacas are not wild animals and never have been! They share all the amazing traits of our 'usual animal therapy' friends, so why shouldn't they provide emotional support to those who really need it?

The answer is, they can and they do! A select number of alpaca farmers, like us, take our alpacas out of the field for an hour or two (always with a few buddies - remember they're a herd animal!) to meet people who are really in need of some alpaca love. Imagine for example, being in a care home, bed bound or restricted to a wheelchair, and then a little herd of alpacas turn up to make you smile! You get to stroke them, feed them, learn all about them, from the comfort of your own bed or chair. Yes it's not the same as visiting a farm or being able to go for a walk with alpacas, but it's the second best thing, and for that time, there is a very wonderful and precious animal present for you to get to know and enjoy. These moments make all the difference to so many people whether in a care home, end of life care, hospice or for those who are struggling with a range of additional needs or mental illness.

You might now be thinking, wow!  Alpacas are way more than I ever imagined and you'd be right! But walking with alpacas or animal therapy isn't where the magic of alpacas ends..... We've only covered the magic of 'male alpacas'! Yes its only the males that walk with our guests and only the males that provide therapy. I'm sure you're curious to know why.... It's all down to the fact that a female has an incredibly important role in the herd and therefore has a very different outlook to a male alpaca. Curious to find out more?

Females are what I like to call an 'evolved' animal. If I told you they can give birth more or less when they choose, that they only give birth in daylight hours and that they know they're pregnant just seven days into the pregnancy, would you agree with me? What about if I told you they can get pregnant at any time of the year, on any given day, that they don't have seasons and just the act of mating gets them pregnant? Starting to see now why alpacas are so incredible and so evolved? 

A female alpaca matures at around the age of 18 months. Males are normally three before they're properly 'grown up'. Females live in herds with other female alpacas, although they don't mind the company of a female llama or two added into the mix. In our own herd, our llama Misty is an integral part of the herd and is an amazing 'aunt' when the alpacas have their 'cria' - baby alpacas. 

Females will often 'sit' for a male from around the age of 18 months. We leave ours until they're two, just to give them that few extra months of maturity. The male will enter the field on a harness and will normally mate two to three females in one session. Just seven days later the male will be bought back to the female. If she has conceived (females are induced ovulators, so success first time is quite often the norm) she won't sit. Instead she will spit right in his face! Yes you read that correctly, she will splatter her once lover with a big face full of chewed up regurgitated grass! How romantic! Mr Lover will then know there's no hanky panky today and off he'll trot back to his own field! 

It'll be almost twelve months later when the baby cria makes it appearance. Mum again is clever and she'll only gives birth generally between 9:30am and 2:30pm. Of course there are exceptions, but mums instinct to give her baby the best possible chance of survival, is a very strong one! This goes back to their native lands of the Andes. Giving birth in the dark on the Andes would be a very risky business. It can be very cold and predators lurk. So these clever mums have evolved to give birth in daylight hours when the sun is up and the baby has the very best chance of warming up nicely. He or she can then be up and feeding within the hour and safe within the confines of the herd. Smart!

If you're used to seeing other animals give birth you'll know that most of them are way more 'chilled' than us humans. But alpacas really are the most relaxed of birthers! I've seen mums up and eating whilst a baby is literally on the way out! This year when one of our mums gave birth she quite happily trotted over to see our guests for a handful of food! Baby was born five minutes later! Of course there can be complications, but thankfully it's rare and most little cuties are up on their feet and part of the herd very quickly! 

Walking alpacas truly is a relaxing experience. But when you look for an alpaca walking experience near you, check out whether you'll also get to hear all about the amazing world of the female herd. There's so much to learn, so many fascinating facts and no alpaca walking experience would be complete without coming away, not just relaxed, but bursting with a new found knowledge of these amazing creatures, and of course an eagerness to book your next alpaca walk!

(Middle England Farm offers Alpaca Walking all year round at our farm in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire)