The average day holds potential for so many things that are way beyond average.
Monday started out in a flurry of activity, articles to write or edit, alpacas to feed, plans to make, and a trip into town for an overdue medical appointment. It came to a close in a flurry of activity that included wandering through a moonlit woods searching for a newborn llama and it’s mamma, accompanied by an albino donkey, a miniature horse and 3 baby bulls.
I could focus on a lot of things about yesterday. Our first open house of the season this past weekend, where I met a lot of great people, and went through a lot of preparation to come up with new products. Some interesting drama surrounding a media interview I was working on reminded me why it’s always important to take every opportunity to do the right thing.
There was the day’s low moment – Irish was unexpectedly fired shortly after going in. This had little to do with him, and much to do with the personal crisis of his boss. This does not make it suck any less. He’s never been fired before. I think we were all sent into a tailspin. There will be more on this – less on the tailspin part because really, you can’t remain in a tailspin very long or you crash to the ground and burn. That ain’t us. More on the recognizing opportunity, making changes and carrying on that has to come from this kind of knock.
Instead I’m going to tell you about a delightful little farm I get to visit from time to time. I first met the “E” family when I was called in to consult on their two alpacas, Yogi and Boo Boo. They bought them from an associate and I’d treated them before. They have a lovely home on this quirky little farm where there seems to be a few of everything. Kind of like a Noah’s Ark in the middle of big production farms and I’ve met some great characters there.
The E farm is also home to a trio of jumping mini goats, a miniature horse, a very large albino donkey, 4 overgrown calves – now more accurately called baby bulls – who think they are alpacas – 3 miniature pigs – who also seem to believe they are alpacas – and two llamas. There’s also an assortment of ducks, exotic fowl, kittens, and a lovely chubby dog named Spot.
This Spring I was out to follow up after shearing and Mrs. E was concerned about her llama, Delilah. Now Delilah is a big llama, I’d say she is Peruvian, very tall, very solid –kind of like our Conchita, only twice the size. Delilah had always been a sweetheart, but had turned mean and ornery. They shearers could not handle her and she was even charging at her constant companion Toonie.
I asked a few questions. They bought the adult llamas from someone who sold off a herd a few years back, and was not known for record keeping. The only thing we know is that they were at least 5 years old, and that they had always been together. Neither had ever been bred and the E’s were told neither could be bred.
Wait – Toonie is a male? An intact male? Toonie is the size of some of our mature male alpacas. I assumed Toonie was a female or an early gelding (sometimes early gelding produces animals shorter in stature).
Apparently not. I think I knew why Delilah was out of sorts, and a quick visual exam (at a respectful distance) confirmed my suspicion. I was 95% sure this llama was pregnant. I broke the news to Mrs. E who was excited and thrilled.
Time passes and I’ve been out a few times to check on the alpacas, and visit with the menagerie. Lee has also fallen in love with the place and took some great pictures. On one of my first visits I was welcomed by a very unusual looking donkey. He had a large head, and he was pure white, and was pretty insistent about being scratched behind his ears. I asked what his name was…Mrs. E said…Donkey. Ok, Donkey, the donkey. So how about the miniature horse, Donkey’s best buddy? Yep – his name was Horse. The trio of mini goats were : Goatie, Goat, and Oatie. (Obviously the alpacas and llamas had names when they adopted them.)
I always laughed whenever I went to visit Donkey, the donkey and his buddy Horse (the horse).
A few weeks ago I was out to check on the alpacas and the small barn paddock was empty. I asked where Delilah and Toonie were. “Oh they are back in the field with Donkey and Horse, getting the last of the summer pasture.”
Cut to last night about 7pm when I get a frantic call from the E farm. On evening chores they went into the back field and discovered a dark brown baby llama wandering . They tried to get close but Delilah came charging at them. Obviously she had her baby earlier that day, and they had no idea what to do next. Mrs. E – “I TOLD you to bring them back to the barn yesterday” Mr. E – “But she didn’t look like she was near ready to giving birth!”
It was dark, the back field has woods and 2 ponds, the temps would fall to freezing, would the baby be okay?
I tried to focus on basics. The cria would need a warm coat if it was out in the woods. Ideally you would bring mom and baby to a sheltered area for the critical first 24 hours after birth, but if not, keeping the baby warm until it was able to thermoregulate (usually about 72 hrs after birth) is key.
So I told them I’d find a cria coat that would work and head over.
Grabbing my 20 inch coat and a larger one, and some supplies, Irish and I headed off into the night to find the E’s waiting for us.
We came up with a plan to try to herd everyone (That would be Delilah and the baby, Toonie, Donkey, Horse, and 3 baby bulls – names unknown - ) from the wooded back area through a gated section and field, and into a barn. Irish looked at Mr. E – then at me. “What are we doing?”
Apparently this is how they moved their animals…they kind of call them and walk them from area to area. Halters? Leads? No. Just kind of walk them over. Now this is not like it’s just the other side of the yard. This is a distance we hop into the truck and DRIVE to, down a twisted road along ponds and past various hills and grazing areas. Through a maze of gate panels. It’s dark and of course the fog is settling in.
Mrs. E: “Isn’t this great – the timing couldn’t be better, with the moon being full it’ll be easier to see them in the bush!”
Irish and I look at the small flashlights in our hands and the black woods, and barely able to make out each other’s faces, we just shrug and set off to find the new mamma and baby.
Dooonnnnkeyyyyy… Mrs. E starts calling out. I have to admit I laughed. But sure enough, Donkey and Horse, followed by 3 baby bulls came wandering out of the woods and making the trek through the fields towards the gates. Toonie soon followed, but no Delilah or baby. We could hear her…but the woods being dark, and she being a dark chocolate brown and determined to avoid detection, it wasn’t easy. We actually found the cria who had somehow managed to get under a fence and was separated from mom. Mr. E scooped up the baby and I got a coat on him. I check and it’s a boy! He seems okay otherwise, just in search of mom. Join the club, kiddo. Irish and Mr. E carry the baby off into the woods to try and lure mamma back to the gate, while Mrs. E and I head off to get Toonie and the rest back towards the barn. I’m thinking there is no way in hell that llama will leave her birthing area. Turns out I am right.
The guys can get close to her, but she will not follow and is trying to charge at them and spits when ever they get close. I know the problem. They have her baby. But if we put him down, he could run off into the woods, and we’d never find him. We don’t know if mamma would find him or if she has bonded with him at all and would let him nurse. (My mind also brings up the issue of coyotes and cougars in the woods but I wisely tell my mind to shut up.) New plan. Since she won’t leave the area, we make sure she has shelter, food etc, and set her up with baby, bring Toonie back for company, and see how they do. So off we go to bring Toonie over again, while the guys put the baby down and keep a watch out for Delilah.
Donkey and Horse are not keen on being left out of this plan. Why should Toonie get to go somewhere without them? Trying to get just one out of the gate was impossible so the three stooges and I start down the road again. Donkey hates flashlights, and when I try to use mine he keeps trying to knock it out of my hands with his giant head. He’s such a card, that Donkey. Toonie is impatient and walks ahead of us, anxious to be closer to Delilah. I start to wonder if Toonie is anything like our Hannibal. If this were my alpacas, I’d trust Hanni to lead me to his girl.
New Plan. Let’s just let Toonie loose and watch and follow him. The E’s look at me like I’m crazy, but I tell them if Toonie is the male I think he is, he will find his gal. And he does. He calls to her and moves along the fenceline. The guys walk out of the bush behind Delilah and the baby, and slowly we herd the trio over towards the food and shelter we’ve put together. Except now Delilah has a new plan of her own. She treks past the shelter and over to the gate – where we wanted her in the beginning – 90 cold dark minutes ago.
After some more wrangling, a calmer Delilah, baby and Toonie were walked past the gate, across the road, through a field and into a barn. Everyone was fine. The baby nursed and is now in a safe area with mom, Toonie is close by on the other side of the fence. The alpacas have been temporarily moved out of the new nursery but are enjoying their new digs with Goatie and pals. The baby bulls are back in the wooded paddock with Donkey and Horse. They seemed to enjoy their moonlit stroll and all of the treats and attention. Before we left Spot, the dog came lumbering out and Kitty, the cat came by for a scratch.
I congratulated the E’s on their new arrival as I packed up. Mrs. E looked at me and said, “Isn’t it wonderful? – such great timing, a full moon and everything, it’s a real miracle”
I’m not sure what part was supposed to be the miracle. The fact that we managed to avoid breaking our necks as we chased farm animals through the woods at night, the fact that somehow, these same animals were able to figure out what we needed them to do and get to where they needed to be safely, or that a non-breeding pair produced a healthy cria born in the woods on a cold November day, and managed to make it just fine.
Maybe all of the above. Maybe the miracle was the excitement I heard in my husband’s voice as he triumphantly called out from the bush “We found them,” or the delight in his eyes as he got to know Donkey. “Can we take him home?”
Maybe it was the reminder that even in the midst of confusion and darkness, there is always a path to safer ground.
The E’s thanked us as we left, and asked how much they owed me. For what? A few hours of discovery and wonder on a moonlit night? I just laughed and said don’t worry about it. I got a bargain.
The little bay black boy, about 22 pounds, is doing well and as yet – has not been named. : ) (There will be pics soon!)
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