RED DEER, Alta. – A suri with a fringe on top had a lot of people scurrying to bid at the Legacy Alpaca sale in Red Deer June 12.
A suri is a rare breed of alpaca with long fringes of curls that drape to the ground.
One particular suri, a chocolate brown female only six months old, set a Canadian record price for an alpaca when she sold for $42,000 to Darwin and Marie Morton of Spruce Grove, Alta. She was consigned by Brian Carpenter, also of Spruce Grove.
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Her parents are part of a contingent of alpacas imported from Bolivia. Bolivian and Peruvian imports are creating a stir because they bring new blood to Canada’s young alpaca industry.
The trade door swung open for Canadians and Americans in 1994 when Peru and Bolivia allowed exports. These countries have most of the world’s alpacas but about 90 percent of Canadian alpacas are descended from Chilean stock because imports were easier.
It was difficult bringing new seedstock into the country, said sale manager Warren Fertig of Legacy Llama and Alpaca Company at Red Deer.
It’s costly and there is considerable risk associated with quarantine procedures. The animals must stay in high risk quarantine for five months in South America and another nine months once they set foot on Canadian soil.
“Most people would sooner buy here when they are out of quarantine,” Fertig said.
There are fewer than 3,000 alpacas in Canada and it takes time to build up the breeding herd. The industry discourages artificial breeding since the semen doesn’t freeze well.
For this first sale, more than 800 people turned up to wink, nod and wave their catalogues to bid on 30 lots that totaled $677,000, to average $22,600.
The high-selling male named Ghost Mist went to Royal Canadian Alpaca Ranch of Edmonton for $32,000. He was consigned by Brian Carpenter who had several high sellers.
Interest was high for other combinations besides suris or fleecy males.
A jaunty red female with a poodle cut named Miss Cool earned her owner Brian Carpenter $40,000 when she sold to Darwin and Marie Morton of Drayton Valley, Alta.
Another suri female named Hot Cakes, imported from Peru to the Biggar farm of Tom and Hedi Liska, went back to Saskatchewan after Vern Schaab of Unity bought her for $35,000.
