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June 25, 2020

An Abandoned Alpaca Bounces Back

This is Annie.



She really stood out from the rest of the alpacas at Temecula Valley Alapacas—and not just because of her bangs.



Turns out she's the most popular of all the Temecula Valley alpacas...



...but she didn't start out that way.



Temecula Valley Alpacas, a non-profit, took her in after her previous owners abandoned her on their nearby ranch, moving away without her and leaving her and some sheep behind.



In a miraculous turnaround, she's become the most social of their alpacas—acting as an ambassador and "therapy alpaca," if you will, at local hospitals.



But there's something else that sets her apart from the rest of this alpaca ranch...



And again, it's not the bangs, because some of the other alpacas do have bangs.



And some of the other alpacas are also very sweet.



Incredibly sweet, in fact.


But they don't "sing" like Annie does.

The sound that Annie makes is generally associated with a baby (cria) calling out for her mother or a mother crying out for her baby.

Annie has neither baby nor mother.

Her keepers think it's her cry for food—and it's true, she stops when she's eating.

But I think something about her abandonment has stuck with her. And being fed only distracts her from it.

She is one of the most loving and affectionate alpacas I've met—and this is a species known better for its feistiness and competitiveness (read: spitting) than its even-temperedness.

Maybe this gives me hope.

Maybe hope can prevail.

Related Posts:
Photo Essay: Cria Season at Alpacas of Menifee Valley
Photo Essay: To Know An Alpaca Is To Love An Alpaca

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