Joanna Najbar
Certification
Fleece
For the past fifteen years, together with her husband Paweł—an animal psychologist, she has been running Coniraya—a place created out of love for animals and nature. Over ten years ago, alpacas joined its residents, quickly becoming not only part of everyday life but also Joanna’s great passion.
Since 2013, she has been continuously expanding her knowledge about these extraordinary animals, taking part in nearly thirty courses and trainings around the world—including in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Austria, and Peru.
However, she did not limit herself only to breeding issues—she also deepened her knowledge during numerous veterinary courses and conferences in Europe and the USA.
For several years, she has been sharing her experience with others by organizing courses and seminars for people who, like her, fell in love with alpacas and wish to start responsible breeding.
Her professionalism has also been recognized in the academic community—since 2018, together with Dr. Agnieszka Jakubowska, she has been running a faculty course on alpaca breeding and diseases for veterinary students at the University Center of Veterinary Medicine UJ–UR.
From 2019 to 2024 she was a board member of the Polish Alpaca Breeders Association, and since 2022, she served as its vice-president, actively supporting the development of the industry and sharing her knowledge.
She is also the organizer of many Fleece Shows for the Association and co-author of the alpaca breed standard, developed together with Arturo Peña. She has published in the industry press—including as co-author of the series of articles “Alpacas—a new breeding species in Poland” published in Życie Weterynaryjne.
Joanna not only willingly shares her passion but also the results of many years of work, supporting other breeders as an advisor in alpaca husbandry and breeding.
In 2025, in cooperation with the University of Agriculture in Kraków, she organized the nationwide scientific and practical conference “Alpacas in Questions—Science for Practice”, which brought together scientists from the United States and Poland, veterinarians, and practitioners involved in alpaca breeding.