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Show ... . f ATAAAW - T '; ;., , I '' -;: jJm .Stat A . A'A' Bountiful Llama breeder Gus Hansen will participate in the International In-ternational Llama Association meet at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake this weekend. - Local Llama dealer plans breeders meet ' Don't be surprised if you spot ' some wooly, doe-eyed animals with banana-shaped ears in downtown Salt Lake City from . June 14-18 when over 600 members of the International In-ternational Llama Association meet at Little America. This group has planned a few surprises for the people peo-ple of Salt Lake. Llamas will visit two local children's hospitals, go ''trekking downtown and perform in a Pack and Performance Festival. Conference organizer. Bountiful .llama . breeder' spjlsf "Hansen; at tributes llamas' current popularity . as a companion animal to their exceptional ex-ceptional tardmess. : "Most llama owners have no experience with ; ' large animals, and they don't need it Llamas are the1 easiest of all . ' domestic livestock to keep. And, he admits, their exotic beauty hasn't hurt ''They -just bat " their long lashes and flash their fur coats and photojoumalists come running." l Llamas features , have appeared recently on the "NDC Today Show," "People's Court" and "PM Magazine," in "Newsweek," 1 "Life," "USA Today'- and every major metropolitan daily. ; 'The articles ar-ticles used to call us off-beat," said v Hansen who began his herd of 45 in : 1974. "Now they say we're trendy. : The real story is we're making money and having a lot of fun doing l.. At" - . , - . At the annual April llama auction ' in Omaha, sales topped $5.5 million . in one weekend. HA estimates , there are 20,000 llamas in approximately approx-imately 2,000 North American ' herds. V Importation from South : America, where f there are 3.5 million, is nearly impossible because of strict ' quarantine re-.quirements. re-.quirements. . . i Domesticated primarily as a beast of burden over 5,000 years "ago by the Incans, llamas were their . main source of v transportation, - clothing, shelter, meat, rope and fueL Today in North America they v. ' visit schools, march in parades, ; model in fashion shows, pull carts, and jog with their owners or tote :' 100 pound mountaineering packs, i Their luxurious wool,- one of the 1 world's finest, sells for $2 an ounce,; s CI i t s ie iff siiii ;s!ii!i.iis i ;SaS?5fi compared to $2 per pound sheep wool. ' ' - Entrepreneurial llama ventures range from commercial pack trips featuring gourmet cuisine to telegram tel-egram delivery services, and children's birthday party rides. A Montana dude ranch, California bed and breakfast and an office park outside of Denver have added f llamas to attract clients. A . a- According to Hansen, llamas' gentleness makes them especially popular among families with ' children and retirees who want a fun, easy, income-producing project that won't tie them down. Average female llamas sell for' $8-15,000 and males go for $750410,000, " though outstanding animals ; of either sex have ; fetched : over $50,000. Basic supply and demand accounts ac-counts for die greater value of the female: there are an estimated ' 20,000 llamas in the U.S. and importation im-portation from South America is practically impossible because of the prevalence of foot-and-mouth disease there. Crias, Spanish for babies, come once a year and twinning twinn-ing is extremely rare. Females are first bred at 14-18 months, and produce pro-duce throughout their . 15-20 year lifespan.' ' ' The public is invited to attend the - hour-long Llamas -101. i slide . introduction in-troduction to life with llamas and advice on starting a small herd at : 1:01 p.m. June 14 at Little America. Llamas can be seen hiking from Little America to the . Temple Square from noon to 1 pjn. June . 15, 16 and 17. A showcase of : llamas and alpacas from herds nationwide will be open free to the . public at Little America Saturday, June 17 from noon to 7 p.m. TTie Pack and Performance Festival at the Utah State Fairgrounds June 16 at 3:30 will demonstrate llamas' athletic ability in obstacle courses, free-style events, cart driving demonstrations, dem-onstrations, walk pack race and other events for children and adults. -Admission is free Refreshments will be available. - For more information call Gus 'Hansen 292-2597. ....... |