From Lizzards to Llamas!

When we first moved to Florida, I anticipated the need to adapt to new wildlife. Some of the wildlife was cool, and some completely freaked me out (remember the lizards?). Coming back to Indiana I did not anticipate needing to prepare for similar adaptions - how much could have changed? I already knew about deer, squirrel and the occasional woodpecker. What were those compared to armadillos, alligators and lizards? Imagine my surprise when I look out my window and see this...

Yep. That's right, llamas in my Indiana backyard.

They are really useful to Mom and Dad as guards for the cattle. There are a lot of cows that we aren't able to see and count every single day, like the dry cows (the ones taking a vacation from milking for a couple months before their next baby is born) and heifers (young cows that haven't had a baby yet. Since they are in more remote places of the farm they are vulnerable to predators like coyotes, wild dogs and cougars (yep, we have one of those roaming around now too). Llamas are really protective of their territory, and even if they aren't particularly fond of the cows sharing the pasture with them, they despise predators and will chase, kick, bite and spit invaders away, thereby protecting the cows in the process of protecting their turf.  They are supremely alert.  Nothing gets past those perky ears and keen eyes unseen.

We used to have issues with some neighbor's dogs chasing our milk cows, but after one run in with Bandito and Cantessa they learned to keep out of the pastures.

Despite their usefulness I still find them very funny looking. The long necks and fluffy rears are a stark contrast to the dairy cows they guard. The heifers in the pasture outside our house think they are interesting too! Even though Cantessa and Bandito would often prefer to stay a bit apart from the calves, the curious heifers love to play follow the leader, much to Cantessa's chagrin sometimes!




Cantessa has the greatest mad face! If I were a dog I woud not want to mess with her!


You will often see a procession of heifers crossing the pasture with a pair of llamas in the lead!

While odd they do add some fun variety to the pasture scene outside my window!