Caution! Guardian Llamas on duty

In the long grass a coyote lurks, eyeing the newborn lambs. Suddenly, the sheep's guardian lets out a warning cry and charges the coyote. The guardian chases the predator out of the pasture before it can harm any of the wooly flock. Another job well-done by (duh-duh-duh-duaaaah) Guardian Llama!
Recently, the search for a simple but effective way to prevent predation on sheep flocks has led to the use of guard animals. The ideal guard animal should protect the sheep flock while requiring minimal training, care, and maintenance. It should stay with and not disrupt the flock, and live long enough to be cost effective.
During the past decade and a half, with the birth and growth of the llama industry in North America, llamas were occasionally pastured with sheep. To everyone's surprise, owners noticed fewer sheep were being lost to predation while the llama was in with the flock. As the word spread, sheepherders started experimenting with guard llamas. Today, the use of llamas as guard animals for a variety of livestock is on the increase.
In one study done by Dr. William L. Franklin and Kelly J. Powell, of the Iowa State University, 145 sheep producers who were using guard llamas in with their sheep were surveyed. The study found that before producers obtained their guard llamas, they had been losing an average of 26 sheep per year to predation, or about 11% of their flocks. After obtaining their llamas, the producers' losses dropped significantly to an average of 8 head per year, or about 1%; half of the producers had their losses reduced to zero.
Using guardian llamas for protecting sheep has developed a widespread appeal as a non-lethal way to ward off predators. "It makes the wildlife biologists happy because it's a balance of nature," Dr. Franklin stated. Others are happy not to risk endangering children or family pets with the traps or poison more commonly used to stop coyote and feral dog attacks on livestock.
The majority of guardian llamas in the U.S. are patrolling Western ranches. But with predators like coyotes and dogs becoming more of a problem nationwide, more flock owners are getting interested in llamas as livestock guardians.

Camelid Family
Llamas come from the Camelid family, which also include alpacas. They are thought to share a common ancestor with the camels and dromedaries of Africa and Asia.
Llamas were first domesticated more than 5,000 years ago in the Peruvian highlands. Early South American cultures bred them for size and endurance. They are still used to produce wool, meat, and hides as well as use as a pack animal.
Llamas demonstrate a fierce, instinctive response to dogs or coyotes invading their territory. They protect their herd starting with an alert posture to warn the others, then sounding a special alarm cry, before charging towards the threat, kicking at it and placing themselves between it and the herd. Dogs and coyotes have been injured and even killed by llamas.
Make no mistake about it: coyotes and dogs kill sheep. In fact, predation is a leading cause of sheep mortality, representing a serious problem for the sheep industry. According to the Iowa State University, sheep losses due to predation in the United States were more than $83 million in 1987 alone. These losses represent 5% of the total sheep population in the United States. Lambs are particularly vulnerable to predators with losses from predation averaging 9%.
Sheep are found in every state of the union, and losses due to predation vary. In Iowa, intensive field studies revealed that 41% of all sheep losses were from canine predators (coyotes and dogs). In Texas, the state with the largest number of sheep, predation was responsible for up to 69% of all sheep losses. Texas also led the nation in economic loss due to predation on sheep ($12 million) followed by California ($9 million), Wyoming ($7 million), Iowa ($6 million), Utah ($6 million), and Colorado ($5 million). (Statistics from the ISU Extension pamphlet Guard Llamas)
For an industry operating on a low profit margin, losses due to predation have resulted not only in reduced revenue for the producer, but also in higher prices paid by the consumer for meat and wool products. Predation is a real problem - making a major impact on the sheep industry.
Using a guardian llama to protect sheep from predators could be an easy, cost effective, and environmentally friendly solution. Llamas are easy to raise - they don't require special feeds or high maintenance. They are generally healthy. Routine worming and vaccinating can be done at the same times as the flock's.
A single, gelded llama is thought to make the best guardian and can be pastured with up to 300 sheep effectively. They get to know 'their' flock and take up guard duty within just a few days.
Next time you see a herd of sheep grazing peacefully in a field, look closely - on of those wooly creatures could just be the (duh duh duh duaaaah) Guardian Llama!

If you have had experience with Guardian Llamas we'd like to hear from you. Contact the Standard 563-568-3431 or email standard@netins.net