Jack the llama comes to Lee Library

[/media-credit] “Jack” the llama makes his debut at the Lee Library.

 LEE – Jack, a 250-pound, four-year-old llama with long eyelashes and a disposition as sweet as cotton candy, came to town and delighted 80 children and adults at the Lee Library.

His owner, Debbie Elias, led him through a back door on a rope made from, well, llama fiber, of course, right into a large room at the library. After standing attentively and quietly for quite awhile,  Jack must have gotten a bit tired, because he unexpectedly plopped down onto the rug.

The brown and white animal, with black on his head and long ears, is a native of South America.

Mrs. Elias explained to the large group of kids, parents and grandparents, that Jack might reach out and smell the tops of their heads since that’s how llamas greet humans.

The owner of the Country Quilt Llama Farm in West Cornwall, Conn., Mrs. Elias owns three other llamas and one alpaca, as well. She’s been working with them since 1988.

[/media-credit] Debbie Elias and Jack take a break after their presentation.

Public visits with llamas

She and one llama at a time visit libraries, schools and convalescent homes that have pet therapy programs.

She invited children in the audience to come up individually and meet Jack, explaining the best place to pet him was on his neck.

One little four-year-old, Shea Davidson, of Lenox, bravely marched up to Jack and petted him on his very long-haired neck.

Back in her seat, she said Jack was just like the family’s dog, “Gronk,” an English Mastiff, except that Jack had longer ears!

Mrs. Elias gave the audience a lot of information about llamas. For instance, their fiber, or fur, can be made into yarn for hats, socks, sweaters, vests and other items. Such clothing items are soft and warm to wear, she said.

Llamas like winter

Just like humans, llamas dislike hot weather because in countries such as Argentina, Chile and Peru’s Andes Mountains, where they are from, it’s very cool. They definitely prefer the winter months.

The fibers on Jack’s neck were a lot longer than the ones on his back because every spring he gets a haircut, Mrs. Elias explained, which helps keep him comfortable when the hot weather comes.

[/media-credit] Derek, Mrs. Elias’s son, reads from the book, “Is Your Mama a Llama?”

While she talked all about the animals she loves so much, Jack was gentle and quiet. His large bottom teeth (the only ones he had because llamas don’t have top uppers) chewed persistently on a cud.

The latter is hay, grass or, in Jack’s case, leaves from a maple tree that he munched near the library parking lot before coming into the library.

Mrs. Elias alerted the audience to watch how Jack swallowed the cud and then, a few minutes later, brought it back up and back into his mouth for more chewing.

A small llama

Jack, at 250 pounds, is a small-sized llama, Mrs. Elias said, as some llamas can weigh as much as 500 pounds.

Llamas can also be used as pack animals and be trained to pull carts.

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They are very sociable animals in their herds. They talk among themselves in rather quiet sounds similar to a hum. Mother llamas also communicate with their babies in the same way.

If llamas sense danger of some sort, such as other animals nearby, the pitches of the hums change.  The louder sounds alert all the llamas in the herd that something is wrong, Mrs. Elias explained.

Llamas are farm animals like goats and sheep and can even become guard animals, chasing coyotes away from goat herds.

Mountain lions are a natural enemy of llamas. 

Normally, llamas refrain from spitting at people, Mrs. Elias said. If there is a problem between two llamas in a herd, they will spit at each other as a very last resort.

[/media-credit] Shea Davidson, 4, of Lenox, bravely pets the friendly llama.

Cost $400 and up

When Mrs. Elias first started owning and working with llamas, they could cost up to $1,500. Nowadays, llamas can be purchased for $400 and up.

Mrs. Elias’ son, Derek, came to the presentation, too. He read the book Is Your Mama a Llama?.

The free program, “Hooked on Llamas,” was part of the library’s summer reading program. It was sponsored by the Lee Library Association and funded by the Marjorie C. Wickham Memorial Fund.

Rosemarie Borsody, public services librarian at the Lee Library, provided word search handouts and photos of llamas for children to color.

Mrs. Elias showed items made from llama fiber as well as photos of her beloved llamas.

She said she brushed Jack prior to coming to the library to prevent matting of his fiber. There is no need to give llamas baths, she said.

Llama van

Mrs. Elias, Derek and Jack the llama drove to the Lee Library in an air-conditioned van which she uses to take the animal to every presentation. Jack lays down obediently in the back of the van on every ride.

Mrs. Elias said she had always loved horses but raising them tends to be very expensive.

[/media-credit] Debbie Elias leads Jack into the library, much to the delight of kids and adults.

“You can have a half-dozen llamas for the cost of one horse,” she said.

Then, one day, she read a Country Living magazine article about raising llamas and visited the farm mentioned.  From that time on, she was sold on llamas.

In the beginning of her llama business, she had a breeding farm but gave it up since she did not like selling the babies, she said.

Taking llamas to visit libraries, schools and the convalescent centers works out well for Mrs. Elias and for the llamas.

In addition, people, both young, old and in between, find out everything about llamas they previously didn’t know.

As for Jack, the llama who visited the Lee Library, he left the air-conditioned room still chewing his cud, no doubt happy to get back into the air-conditioned van and head for home.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on July 25, 2013. Filed under Community Events,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry