Teen welcomes challenges of caring for llamas

Alexus Carr’s attraction to llamas began with one scrawny, unsightly creature. Elvira’s matted coat hadn’t been groomed in years when she was deposited at a boarding stable. Her owner never returned to bring her home. Alexus and her mother, Eileen, visited the stable to look at a horse and after meeting Elvira they struck a deal.

“We said we’ll only get the horse if we can get the llama, too,” Alexus said.

That was last November and now eight llamas receive Alexus’ loving care. In that short time, she acquired enough llama rearing and training skills to earn several prizes at the North Idaho Fair in August, including the Junior Grand Champion prize, first place in showmanship and second place in public relations.

With a gentle nudge or a wiggle of her fingers at their noses, the Lakes Middle School eight-grader can coax 300-pound creatures to back away, walk through water or weave through tires in an obstacle course. She shows no fear, despite her knowledge of the llama’s capabilities.

“They’re very protective, they can kill a coyote,” she said. “They can actually kill a man, too.”

The animals are gentle enough, however, to pass the test that horses failed. Alexus was drawn to llamas after learning that she needed back surgery. After her operation in June, her activities were restricted. That meant no horseback riding for two years. For a country girl who shares her home with goats, chicken, dogs, cats and horses, that was not an easy restriction to hear.

The Carrs’ neighbor, Karen Weppner, owns llamas and encouraged Alexus to learn about them, knowing that they are confident creatures who don’t spook the way horses do.

“At first we weren’t sure what she’d be able to do, what her limitations would be after surgery,” Weppner said. “One of the best things about llamas is, they are a large animal, but they’re so intuitive and so gentle.”

The hours spent absorbing all she could about llamas from Weppner and other mentors paid off. Besides giving a poised performance at the fair, Alexus learned to drive her llamas with a cart and use them as packing and camping partners.

“I’m delighted that they came into her life at this time of her life,” Weppner said. “It gave her so many options, and she was able to shift her focus on something new. She’s just taken it and run with it. I’ve seen her really bond and develop a love for them.”

Alexus has big goals for her giant pets, many of which came to her from unwanted or neglected circumstances. She hopes to make use of them by visiting sick children and nursing home residents after hearing that others do this successfully. Several of her llamas have desirable silver or white wool and she plans to learn how to spin it herself for knitting material.

“I want to give it to my grandmother so I can have something that she made,” she said.

Although several of her llamas came from owners who couldn’t handle their needs, Alexus doesn’t find the daily care to be taxing. Her mother helps with feeding during the school year, and Alexus is responsible for stall cleaning and manure-relocation, which she found makes an ideal garden mulch.

Along with studying llama facts, Alexus is an honor roll student who has researched what it takes to be a veterinarian and plans to pursue that career. She has a love for all kinds of animals, but especially likes the challenge of her llamas’ unique personalities. Elvis, a regal white wanderer, came to live with her after escaping from prior owners who were tired of his antics. Alexus is working on his tendency to be pushy around small children and loves that he will come when you call, unlike many other llamas.

“He hears a person, and he comes running,” she said. “He’s just a different llama.”

She’s learned how to handle the quirks in her brood and relies on the help of more experienced owners when things go wrong, like when one llama got stuck in barbed wire and some others got sick on a meal of forbidden plants. Despite those predicaments, she is sold on the woolly mammals, who flock to her side like photographers to a celebrity.

“They make wonderful pets,” she said.