Humpless camelids_ the South American llama and alpaca are essential to life in the Andes_2

For millions of years, a family of animals has evolved and found ways of adapting to the hottest, the coldest, and the highest environments. They are called the camelids. Central Asia's two-humped camels, India to Africa's one-humped dromedaries, and their Southern American cousins with no hump, the llama, the alpaca, the guanaco, and the vicuña are all members of this family. After participating in the rise of many civilizations, these animals were forgotten. But today, in many developing societies, humans are rediscovering their benefits and giving them an important role in daily life. In the small camelids, the llama, first domesticated 5,000 years ago, is the symbol of a privileged relation with humans, which culminated with the Incas. Today, their cousins have again become indispensable to the Andes populations, especially for their precious fiber. But who are these little camelids? How do they survive the harsh environments? Why are humans rediscovering their qualities? We travel to Peru and Chile with the gods of the Andes. On the Andes Plateau, at between 10,000 and 16,000 feet in altitude, humans have long lived with the small camelid, and in particular with the llama, which played an important role in the development of pre-Columbian civilizations. Its meat provided food, its wool was used to make clothing, its bones became tools, and its dung was used as fertilizer or burned as fuel. A beast of burden, it also carries goods along the immense network of mountain trails. Today, with increasing urbanization and modern machinery, its role has been reduced, but traditions die hard. Joel is a llama herder. He's coming down to his village because today, to keep the custom alive, his community has once again begun using a llama caravan, an activity that disappeared only a few years back. It's our family story that began with my grandfather. My father also led caravans 15 years ago. The people of Sibayo, the Andes people, are used to traveling with llamas, crossing rivers and climbing mountains. In the caravans, they were normally two, three or four people. Each shepherd led 20 to 25 llamas. That was three families, for example. This meant about 70 to 75 llamas total in the caravan. In hard-to-access regions where the climate makes farming difficult, caravans allowed populations to replenish their stocks of food staples, like salt and corn. Caravans linked isolated villages so they could share customs and culture. Adancio is an old llama herder. He too is bringing his llamas to the village for the caravan. In Peru, the llama is a sacred animal. They are good walkers. They're adapted to the mountain. Llamas are born in a group. Before being able to travel with one carrying a load, it must first be domesticated. As for the community's women, they're preparing the food for the caravan. Like chicha, the traditional beer made from corn. Some neighbors are grilling corn, the major food staple of all pre-Columbian civilizations. The Incas grew 17 different varieties of corn on the Andes' terraced slopes. This is a one-day ration that the herder takes in his pack. He can eat it when he stops to rest. Others are preparing a rapid soup because at high altitudes, firewood is hard to come by for heating the kettle. Llama meat is another food that's bartered by caravaners. It's not fatty. It's rich in protein, more than beef or chicken. As for the milk, it's completely absent from their diet in the Andes. Llama milk is mainly for feeding their babies. We have very little of it. We only drink it in certain circumstances, to heal an illness or against certain headaches. Shamans say that the dark gray llama's milk is powerful for combating evil spells carried on the bad winds. Joelle and Adancio gather the products woven, cooked or sewed by the women. There are llama fiber blankets, charcuit, dried llama meat, chuños, dried potatoes, and cocheyolo, dried algae from the Pacific shore. Before attacking the steep winding paths and snowy peaks, Joelle and Adancio participate in a ceremony. To guarantee a peaceful caravan, the Quechua's practice many different ritual offerings. In the Inca mythology, to help them survive the hostile environment, Pachamama, the earth goddess, offered llamas to humans. The llama fetus put into the fire assures the goddess's protection, and also that of the Apus, the mountain spirits. These vivid beliefs testify to the importance of the camelid in the Andes civilizations. To pay homage to the llama, the Incas encrusted its image into the walls of cities like Xoquequirao, near Machu Picchu. Higher still, looking to the sky, they dedicated a constellation to the llama. In the 15th century, the limit of the Inca's empire corresponded to the limit of the llama's expansion. It's estimated that their herds numbered several million heads. The llama permitted commercial trade, military conquests, temple construction, and the mining of gold and silver. Six centuries later, this golden age still permeates Andes culture. Once the ceremony is complete, he must load the llamas. A llama can easily carry 50 pounds, even up to 90 pounds, depending on its size and force. Even if they are docile, over a certain load, llamas will refuse to advance. The colorful tassels make them easier to see, and they also protect against evil spirits. In a caravan, we have two or three leaders. They wear bells, and they have more tassels than the other llamas. We also dress them with decorative fabric and flags. These are special llamas because they are guide llamas. We give them nice names. Mine is called Chumpy. We really hope to see a rebirth of this technique. I'm calling to others to organize their own caravans to Cabanaconde, or Chachas. The corn is very good there. This initiative is a strong sign of the desire to reconnect with the ancient practices and with the local culture. The llama is particularly well-acclimated to rough mountain life. Its fleece protects it from the cold, and its feet have pads adapted to the hazardous and sometimes snow-covered ground. The llamas know us, shepherds. They know our voices, our calls. When the shepherd enters the river, the llama knows it must wait to be called before crossing. The llama is rugged and calm. It doesn't drink much and eats the plants it finds along its route. Its upper lip is split, allowing it to delicately grab plants without destroying its environment. But today it's hard to compete with cars and trucks. From Sibayó to St. Thomas, it's a 100-mile walk, 60 miles from Sibayó to Espinar. It's a four-day walk. By car, you go back and forth in a day. You leave in the morning, and in the afternoon, you're already in Sibayó. You economize time and money. These facts aren't completely convincing for communities located very far from urban areas and which have developed subsistence economies. In the markets, you find the most known products. But by exchanging with other communities, we get more variety and more natural products that aren't found in stores. The llama herder barters for these things and brings good products to his family. That's the difference. Caravans transport more interesting products that are found in the markets. Protected by Mother Earth and the mountain spirits, the shepherds continue their route with tranquility. This llama, held in great esteem for centuries, wasn't always working the Andes mountain trails. Its ancient ancestors came from farther north, and some of them were surprisingly tall. We take a detour to the Paris Museum of Natural History, where we meet the paleontologist Christian de Mouison, who explains the camelid's origins. He is especially interested in the great exchange of fauna between the two Americas. The camelid's history began in North America about 35 million years ago in the middle of the Tertiary Era. It spread out considerably in North America up to the end of the Tertiary Era, around 5 million years ago during the Pliocene Epoch. Certain animals migrated across the Bering Strait to Asia. There's another subfamily in North America, which migrated to South America about 2 million years ago, at a time when the Panama Isthmus was emerged. Then they disappeared from North America. This is why today we have two separate families, camels and dromedaries in the Old World, guanacos, vicunas, llamas and alpacas in South America. This subfamily from North America will later create today's smaller camelids. But before becoming a llama, one ancestor, the paleo-llama, was much larger. The paleo-llama is a much larger animal than the llama. Look at this paleo-llama skull. Compared to the llama skull, we see it's much larger. And above all, it had very developed canines. And here you see the premolar behind it, it's very developed. Here's a tibia from the Quaternary period in Bolivia. This is the paleo-llama's tibia. It's a beast. This is from a camel. No comment is needed. We see the paleo-llama is practically the same size as the camel. If we now look at another paleo-llama bone, the metacarpus, which has this same camel characteristic, meaning the two bones that are not fused at the bottom. Look, here's the paleo-llama metacarpus, and here's the camels. We clearly see they are animals of the same size. And if we compare with the llama, the size difference is very obvious. The paleo-llama and all other giant forms disappeared, but other families existed. The llama is a descendant, as is its cousin the alpaca, which was also domesticated. Back to Peru. Welcome to Nuñoa, to the fourth annual alpaca festival in the little village of Altiplano. This is the great gathering for the region's herders. Alpaca constitute the biggest population of all small camelids, with six million heads in South America. They're separated into two breeds, the huacaya alpaca with their curly coat and the suri alpaca with longer hair. For humans, they're mainly raised to produce fiber. Dr. José Luis Apatza is responsible for production at an alpaca breeding cooperative. He is very well known here, and everyone asks his advice before the contests. This is a male breeder. He's been referenced. You can see he's in good health, a good allure, a nice head, maybe a little short. His fiber is fine, but it could be more dense, with more character. The mane falls a little. Otherwise, you'd be champion of your category. This feria is also an animal market, and José Luis doesn't want to miss anything. The sale of alpacas at auction is a real show, both inside and outside the arena. 2, 12, 2, 13, 14, 2, 15, 2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 2, 23, 2, 24, 2, 24, 2, 25, 31, 32, 33, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 40, 44, 24. The big Suri alpaca competition happens in this corral. These Rasta alpaca, with their long dreadlocks, are closely scrutinized by the minister's specialists. We find only small numbers of this Suri alpaca in Peru because they are fragile, but when they survive, they have appreciable qualities. Their fiber is very fine, between 16 to 21 microns. Their fleece is heavy. Its particularity is that its robe is shiny. It has fringes and also long hair that falls along the side of its body, like independent braids, separate from one another. The criteria for selecting the prize winners are the finesse of its hair, its fiber's shine, and conformation. Before returning to the plateau and the llama pastures, Jose Luis takes time to congratulate his friends, the winners. Hello, Don Gregorio, how are you? And you, Romeo, how are you? And you? Here are the champions, champion of the race and second place. Jose Luis works for Rural Alianza, Peru's last large alpaca cooperative. It's located between 13,000 and 15,000 feet in altitude, spread out through three valleys. This valley is reserved for the Suri alpaca. The three units regroup a capital of 40,000 alpacas, separated into zones. We manage 34,000 hectares. This allows us to make selections and also to make genetic improvements. That's not possible on small parcels. Here it's out of the question to mix the breeds. The priority is the homogeneity and quality of the fiber. 21 years ago, the two types of alpacas lived together, with alpacas of color, too. But then we separated them so that the Suris and Huacayos could no longer mate. But we have problems with the young Suris, because they are born small and without much hair. They're more sensitive to the cold. They catch pneumonia easily. But we've started treating them with antibiotics. The neighboring valley is home to the white Huacayas. Like all camelids, they present the advantage of not destroying their environment. They eat 40% less grass than cows or goats. These animals have little pads under their feet, instead of hooves. This allows them to avoid destroying the pastures. That's why we say the alpaca eats using only one mouth, but the ovine and bovine eat with five mouths. Rural Alianza's clients are producers looking for good breeders to improve their herds. There are also buyers for meat, and industrial groups who buy the fiber. It all begins with the impressive shearing process. A great part of the Peruvian mountain people work in alpaca herding. Why? Because the other species don't adapt as well to the high altitude. That's why so many people are dependent on this fiber. In Peru, this independence is closely linked to industrial companies that monopolize the alpaca fiber transformation. Each month, we buy 20 tons of fiber from all around southern Peru's mountains. Alpaca fiber is the only one in the world that has over 12 natural colors. That's more than either wool or cashmere, which is the first advantage. And the second advantage is its fineness. We're working hard to increase demand for this fiber, and it's paying off. We're highlighting in particular fibers for knitting. We're promoting this aspect to increase knowledge about it and modernize its image. We want to change it from a grandmother's activity to something for the young, so they'll start knitting their own clothes. This activity makes it possible for the herders to keep living in their mountain homes and not be forced to move to the cities. The alpacas not only export their fiber far abroad, they've also journeyed north across the equator to the land of their ancestors, where they are prospering. In the south of Quebec, in what Canadians call the Lovely Province, a herd of alpacas flourishes in this North American prairie. Returning to the land of their origins, the camelids have come back home. Many centuries have passed since hunters were decimating their ancestors' population. Today, herders Sarah and Jean-Yves maintain a special relationship with their herd. Where's my sweet Rita? My pretty. Come on, Chablis, don't be shy. Every alpaca has a name and is considered like a family member. Well, almost. They're still farm animals. They're not like dogs or cats. They're not house pets. They are very proud animals and sometimes distant. So when we convince them to trust us, it's very satisfying. Come and eat, girls. Tired of the stress of the big city and of corporate life, Sarah and Jean-Yves discover that alpaca herding is an accessible reconversion for novices. The daily cycle is feeding in the morning, then they go outside. In the afternoon, there's no animal maintenance. The alpaca really likes its freedom, outside, all by itself. At night, I just have to feed them again. It's a calm and tranquil animal. It's not a very active animal, but it's a charmer. Very relaxed. It's very enjoyable to start the day this way. We wanted something, a business, but we didn't want to slaughter animals. Now we live off the alpaca with genetic reproduction, fiber transformation, and sales from the store here on the farm. Over 200,000 alpacas are raised for their fiber in North America, but Sarah and Jean-Yves have opted for breeding champions. We want to produce the finest possible fiber, and the best fiber that exists is found on competition animals, those who will win. Sarah works her alpaca wool at an artisanal level. In the boutique, she proposes only handmade products, rugs, hats, socks, scarves, and all sorts of accessories for keeping warm in the harsh Canadian winters. Alpaca is completely hypoallergenic. It's seven times warmer than sheep's wool. The fiber is so very soft and agreeable to work with. It's so soft, it's like working in a cloud. Knitters all say that once you've touched alpaca, that's all you want to work with, and nothing else. You become hooked on alpaca. In the specialized corral, Jean-Yves supervises the mating. Here are your friends. For camelids, the male's presence triggers the female's ovulation. To know if she is ready, she's presented to him during his rutting period. We presented the male to get the female's reaction. She ran in every direction. She kicks. It's a sign that her hormones are in order, and she's pregnant. It's great news for us. Next year, we'll have a little alpaca. That one is open. The best breeding males sell for $15,000 to $30,000, but there are exceptions, especially in the United States where the price can go up to $100,000, but that's really marketing. Good males are between $15,000 to $25,000. According to the males, coupling goes from 15 to 45 minutes for some vigorous males. In general, it lasts 20 to 30 minutes. The herder must be patient during the coupling. Are you finished, Miguel? The young males watching the scene show their jealousy in a very particular way. I prefer to be here during the coupling. Oh, Miguel, get off it. Humans have other reasons for being interested in alpacas. In addition to providing excellent warm fiber, they're at the origin of a possible medical breakthrough. Just like all other camelids, alpaca blood has a very useful characteristic. Camelids are the only vertebrates that possess two types of antibodies, one type that's identical to humans, and a second type of antibody that's much smaller. It's this second type that interests Dr. Lafay. Our antibodies never enter our brain. That's a scientific fact. But the camelids' antibodies are much smaller, and capable of entering the brain, creating possible applications, especially in diagnostics and imagery of different diseases like Alzheimer's. To be able to locate these antibodies, they're colored with a fluorescent marker. Next, they're injected into the diseased mouse. The doctors don't need to wait long to see a result. Twenty minutes after the injection of our antibodies, we are able to see the main pathological features of Alzheimer's disease, which are the amyloid plaques and the neurofibrillate angles. This gives us the opportunity to track the disease progression over time. The most important thing here, of course, is that we see the amyloid plaques, very specifically labeled with our antibody. Also, I can show you here another feature. We can see very well the angiopathy that characterizes the Alzheimer's disease. This marking is very important, because the earlier we can diagnose the plates, the earlier we can treat and heal the patient. The research has not yet been tested on humans, but these camelid antibodies show much promise and potential. Alpacas are finding followers in North America and around the world. One of their cousins is becoming very coveted, thanks to the veritable treasure it carries. We return to Peru. Today, far into a valley near Lake Titicaca. It's the important yearly ritual called the Day of Chacru. Herders will gather many vicuña, just as their Inca ancestors did. This traditional vicuña gathering came back just a few years ago. There's a law protecting the animal. It's a national symbol. You can't buy or sell it. Some say the vicuña is worth $1,000. Hunting it is illegal and punishable by 10 years in prison. Hundreds of people coming from the four communities walk toward the summit. The Chacru begins. The vicuña is a wild species. It's one of the smallest camelid. It lives in polygamous families. Three to six females accompany each male. These families live between 12,000 to 16,000 feet in altitude. Up at 16,000 feet, the communities are getting organized. Each one will take care of a pre-designated area. They're forming long lines and slowly descending the slopes, flushing out the vicuña. The Chacru is beginning. The Incas protected the vicuña, but later they were hunted almost to extinction for their meat. Today the vicuña is again protected like a national treasure and for a very good reason. It's fiber. The vicuña provides the world's finest and most precious fiber. It's their fiber that is so coveted by humans. The first maneuvers are determined. No vicuña can be allowed to pass through the human chain. Thanks to the human chain, from corral to corral, the trap becomes impossible to escape. 2,000 vicuñas are forced into the final corral. The vicuña is truly our national symbol. It has the finest fiber on earth. It's important because it's both a natural and a cultural tradition here. We all love the vicuña. How many vicuñas do we have? We'll count and record them. We'll marry them to get babies too. Then we'll have a festival. People are happy. They sing and dance. It's a real ceremony. It's time to celebrate. The divinities are implored so that they'll share their benedictions. The vicuñas are married in a ceremony of dance and song. It's done so that the vicuñas multiply even more. With confetti, we implore Mother Earth and the divinities to bring a lot of babies. It's the final ceremony. Faithful to the Inca's ancient traditions, the communities celebrate the success of their chacu. The dances continue one after the other until the sun god goes down. The next day, the vicuñas are sheared. The shearers will take a few hundred grams of the precious fiber from each animal. Shearing this golden fleece benefits the four communities. It is sold, treated, then exported to the world's high-fashion industry. Once reserved for the Inca's royal family, today it's worn by jet-setters. Scarves sell for $1,200. A coat for $20,000. Up on the plateau, free again and a few grams lighter, the vicuñas are back on their lands. They have another peaceful year ahead of them, time to regrow their precious fiber coat, another year high up and close to the sun. Much further to the south, in Chile, lives the guanaco, the freest and the wildest of the little camelids, the one that humans have never been able to domesticate. In the Atacama region, in the north of Chile, the Pacific coast has a desert-like environment. The Llanos de Chale National Park was created here. The objective is to preserve a vast ecosystem populated with a wide variety of flowers and endemic cactuses. Over 250 animal species live in the park. Among them, the guanaco. They are completely wild, and they were once in danger of extinction. Last century, they were hunted for their meat. Today, they are protected. The Llanos de Chale National Park is managed by the AMANKE organization, which is attached to the Ministry of Agriculture. Today, its team of scientists and park rangers are conducting a count of the guanaco population. The important thing is to collect from one mile around. That's the map where you are. Here's the triangle. As the zone is vast, their mission will take days. Four teams share the job. Look, you see this cactus? That's the copiacoa. Guanaco like to eat this. This is the copiacoa shell. Some parts are missing from this cactus. That's what the guanaco ate. Thanks to its adaptability, it uses its hoof to break it. And with its split lip, it can push its teeth out and eat what's inside. Here's one. He's looking at us. One vigilant solitary animal. It's a young male, less than one year old. The dominant male expelled him from the group. It's a transition period for him, before he meets other youth, to start their own solitary group. He's disoriented, and he's calling his family, his mother. You can hear him growling. This herbivorous mammal is able to adapt to varied and extreme climates. Humid in Patagonia, and dry in northern Chile. The guanaco's social life is very structured. It has a family, based on the dominant male and several females. There are also young males, that are expelled from their families. And there are solitary males. Each group lives in a well-defined area. Here we find the guanaco's bathroom. We'll mark it on our map. Those are big toilets for the entire family. They mark their territory with excrements when they are young. They're waiting in line. One will defecate, then the next one follows. They respect the family's hierarchy. The first goes, the second waits, the first leaves. These excrements also have a specific function. The guanaco is one of the disseminators of seeds, so they can subsist over time. He moves about, eats the seeds, digests them, then excretes them in his dung. In this way, it plays an essential role in the desert's biological chain. Without this animal, a large portion of the desert flowers would not exist. The guanaco's main characteristics are its big ears. It has long eyelashes that protect it from sand, so it can see better. And its coat that helps it to hide in the vegetation when predators are near. The guanaco has a technique for feeding. It doesn't pull plants up from the roots. It eats only what's necessary. It is a wild species. It constantly contributes to the balance of the ecosystem. The guanaco is clearly like a survivor in this environment. Even in this park, the guanaco is not completely protected. Predators are still present. There are people who come to hunt the guanaco. It's illegal here in the park. Predators use dogs to chase the guanaco out of the park. And the dogs will also eat the guanaco's meat. The guanaco's speed, up to 40 miles an hour, makes it possible to escape the dogs and pumas. In this rocky desert zone, there is no place for the guanacos to hide. For Cesar, a photographer specialized in science and nature, the guanaco has a special status. The guanaco is a real character in Chile. It's very particular because it is a proud animal. It wants to dominate its environment. I noticed that the male guanaco that protects the group always stands in a high place, looking around the landscape. He acts like the boss, the master of the land. The guanaco has finally re-established its place in the ecosystem and won its rightful respect from humans. As for the llama, today it remains a guardian of cultural traditions. The alpaca has entered the era of industrialized production and its fiber is conquering the planet. The little fragile vicuña is making economic survival possible for several mountain communities. These small camelids, which the Incas called our silent brothers, are once again enjoying the favor of Pachamama, the goddess of the earth.