Though the alpaca population was all but wiped out when the Spanish invaded the Incan Empire, the alpacas made a comeback during the 1800’s. Specifically, in 1834, an Englishman by the name of Sir Titus Salt discovered some alpaca fleece in a warehouse. Since he already owned several textile mills, he began to test the fleece’s suitability.
Much to Salt’s delight, alpaca fleece created a wonderful and multi-functional textile. In part to produce this new textile, and in part to ameliorate the poor conditions of existing mills, Salt built a new, safer mill to manufacture alpaca textiles. The site of the mill turned into a town, called Saltaire, which still stands as a World Heritage Site today, all thanks to alpacas. Salt not only gained fame and fortune by using alpaca fleece, he also played a key role in improving working conditions for employees during the Industrial Revolution.
A little over a century later, alpacas came to the United States in the 1980’s. The import of alpacas boomed, and U.S. alpaca owners came together to form associations and alpaca registries. Alpacas even become prize winning show animals at fairs. Their fibers, however, were still seen as a luxury and used in high-end goods. The two breeds of modern alpacas, Suri and Huacaya, are now prevalent across the United States and North America.
As evidenced by their history, alpacas can be crossbred, which is now another common use of them. The offspring of alpacas that are crossed with llamas produce a unique and luxurious fleece.
Though they can grow up to 190 pounds, alpacas have never been intended as work animals. Many believe they are still too small, and their fibers are much more valuable to owners. Additionally, most alpacas are not keen on physical contact, making their use as work animals difficult.
Though alpacas do not make good pack animals, they are useful for more than just their fleece. Because of their diet of tender leaves, many use alpaca manure to enrich soil for plantings or agricultural purposes.
Uses for Alpaca Fibers
Across the world, alpaca fibers have been woven into a variety of textiles and made into blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, bedding, coats, and ponchos. Peru boasts over 50 distinct colors of alpaca fibers, which beats America, with 16 colors, and Australia with 12 colors. Each alpaca can produce about 4-11 pounds of fiber per year.
Because alpacas were in high demand, they also became expensive. This lead to a black market for alpacas, where the animals were smuggled into North America for illegal sale. This sad practice introduced poor conditions for the imported animals, who were only accustomed to grazing in fields with their herds.
With the recent invention of synthetic fibers, however, natural fibers like alpaca, have become less prevalent. Though the use of alpaca fibers has faded, other uses for these fine animals may develop. For now, their sustainable products of fleece and manure continue to create beautiful textiles, and hearty plantings.