Overview:
At Big Meadow Creek Alpacas, we specialize in the suri alpaca, known for their lustrous locks that feel like silk. The suri's fiber grows parallel to its body, hanging in long, separate, graceful locks-quite different from the soft, wooly look of huacaya alpacas. Suri fiber is generally more lustrous and often finer than huacaya. Suri's are rarer than huacayas. Our breeding program focuses on developing color and luster. The U.S. Alpaca Registry was closed to imports in December 1998. Approximately 60,000 alpacas are currently registered in this country among 4000 breeders. Self-regulated, the Alpaca Registry uses a scientifically verifiable identification system with a genealogical database that tracks ownership and pedigrees. Thinking about investing in alpacas? We're sometimes asked why the price of some alpacas are "so much!" We like to compare buying an alpaca to buying an oil painting. An interested buyer could buy an oil painting of Elvis Presley on velvet. That oil painting wouldn't have a great value--except to the person who purchased it. On the other hand, Van Gogh's painting "Irises" sold at a 1987 auction for $49 million. You can own a "black velvet" alpaca or you can own a "Van Gogh" alpaca. Our advice--research, research, research. The internet provides a remarkable source of information about alpacas and the farms where they are bred. Most alpaca owners are more than anxious to talk about alpacas and show them off! |
