Alpacas are gentle animals and love to have their picture taken!

Alpacas can spit, but rarely do unless provoked. Luckily, alpacas usually fire a blank warning volley first.

Do

• Approach slowly and calmly.
• Talk in a calm soothing voice
• Keep your hand FLAT when touching an alpaca and pat with the back of your hand. Grabbing them or their fiber makes them think you are a predator.
• Touch the alpaca on the top of its back, shoulders, and side of its neck.
• Ask the handler what the alpaca prefers — just like people they have personalities with their individual likes and dislikes!

Don't

• Don’t touch or feed alpacas without asking first.
• Don’t touch an alpacas head, hindquarters, tail, or toes.
• Don’t grab or hug an alpaca. Grabbing frightens alpacas.
• Don’t stand behind an alpaca. Like other livestock, alpacas may reflexively kick if you touch their hindquarters or startle them.