Hi I have recently moved from France to the UK with my two llamas Carla and Vanille (and 3 goats). Carla is 10 and has always lived with me, Vanille I got when she was 18 months (with Carla's mum). In France the llamas were fairly approachable and I could halter them and work on them once I had coaxed them into their shelter / handling area. During the transportation process they had to endure two blood tests in France as well as TB, Brucilosis and Blue-tongue inoculations. Then they were transported- for the first time ever for Carla and 2nd for Vanille. Once they arrived they were released into a large field - 7 acres, we then discovered that Apha - (ministry of agriculture) had put a movement restriction on them which meant that they needed a blood test for Blue-tongue. I moved them into a small field and created a handling pen. The man from Apha came and we tried to take blood from the llamas - he spent a long time eventually got a small amount from Vanille and then failed to get any from Carla. It then transpired that the blood tests were purely for statistical purposes as they had been inoculated and they would come back positive anyway - so a complete waste of time. Now the llamas are back in the big field, but I need to have them shorn - which means finding a shearer in Bucks, UK - any suggestions? The shearers are mostly alpaca shearers who 'stretch out' their alpacas - so you can guess their mentality. I need to build them a shelter so I can start to build their trust back but that would need planning permission So in the meantime they (particularly Vanille) are keeping a good distance between them selves and me. Any advice would be welcome
