THE ALPACAS
OF
ALPACAS ZEELANDIA
INTELLIGENT, GENTLE, AND VERY CURIOUS

Our alpacas

Meet the alpaca (Vicugna pacos), a unique mammal from the camelid family, originally native to Peru. With their large eyes, gentle nature, and fluffy appearance, they quickly steal everyone’s heart.

Characteristics of the alpaca

  • Friendly grazers: Alpacas have a shoulder height of around 90 centimeters. Thanks to the soft pads on the bottom of their feet, they do not trample the pasture, making them ideal grazers.
  • Beautiful wool: There are 22 recognized color shades. While white, cream, brown, and black are the most common, you may also see rarer, multi-colored variants. Our herd consists of Huacaya alpacas, recognizable by their dense, soft, and lightly crimped wool. They are shorn once a year to produce high-quality wool.
  • Unique births: An alpaca’s gestation period is around 11 months. Remarkably, crias (cria = alpaca baby) are almost always born between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Because an alpaca mother cannot lick her baby dry, the warm afternoon sun is essential to dry the newborn. Alpacas can live up to 25 years.
alpacas aagtekerke walcheren

Personality & Handling

Alpacas are naturally intelligent, curious, and gentle herd animals. Through respectful, patient training and positive reinforcement, we build a strong bond with them. Our alpacas are accustomed to people; they enjoy walks and love it when you calmly stroke their neck or back.

Curious about who is walking around in our pasture? Scroll down to meet the unique residents of Alpacas Zeelandia!

Arenda

Arenda (2017) is delicately built and dark brown. She keeps a watchful eye over the herd and is alert to strangers and dogs. She can be a bit reserved at times, but being as curious as she is, she will surely come over to sniff you. On unfamiliar terrain, she is confident and enjoys new experiences. She carefully and gently eats pellets straight from your flat palm.

Ada

Ada (2017) is large and white, with a round little head and a curly mustache. Her wool is of exceptional quality. On our farm, she is confident and often the first to come and greet you. On unfamiliar terrain, she is more cautious—sometimes even a little clumsy. When you feed her pellets, she presses her nose deep into your palm. In February 2021, her cria, Dana, was born.

Aafje

Aafje (2017) is large, white, and stands tall on her legs. She was partially bottle-fed by us. From a skinny little scamp, she blossomed into one of the largest alpacas in our female herd. Her brown eyes stare dreamily into the distance, but her joyful capers are contagious to everyone around. At the hay rack, she patiently waits her turn.

Alpha

Alpha (2016) is greyish-white with dark spots. She holds authority over the others. With her striking blue eyes, she gives you a probing look. She likes to walk in front during beach walks and requires firm guidance. She lets herself be petted and sets an example for the rest—a true alpha animal. In April 2019, her cria, Bonne, was born.

Amber

Amber (2018) is light brown and full of energy. She joined our herd as a four-month-old orphan. Fortunately, she loved the bottle. Ada adopted her as a foster child, and ever since, Amber fearlessly steps along with everyone. She is caring toward pregnant alpacas and newborn crias. She is curious and loves getting petted.

Bonne

Bonne (2019) is proud and large, with a dark brown, soft coat and long legs. As Alpha’s daughter, she has plenty of self-confidence. She is inquisitive and mischievous, approaching people and animals without fear. She leads and accepts petting well, but only when she feels like it. She can run very fast and seems to be a natural-born leader.

Dana

Dana (2021) is Ada’s daughter. She is pure white, inquisitive, and open-minded. She hops around everywhere, is fascinated by hair, and loves nibbling on your ponytail. She enjoys being pampered and sometimes spends her time happily daydreaming.

Evita

Evita (2021) is Amber’s daughter. Just like her mother, she has a nose for tasty treats. She is very independent and loves exploring together with Dana. She has also found playmates in rescue crias Wallie and Yoris. Evita is already fond of the beach.

Pleun

Pleun (2022) is a special young lady. With her beautiful rose grey coat, she is a striking appearance just like Alpha. Pleun had some trouble transitioning from her mother’s milk to solid food. Mara—just like she once did with Aafje—taught her how to eat pellets. Pleun has now claimed her place in the female herd. She is reserved, sensitive, and learns very quickly. Every now and then, she shows off a joyful leap.

Fiona

Fiona (2023) is the second daughter of our Amber—a surprise from an unplanned adventure with stud stallion Winston. Fiona is cared for and kept an eye on by both Amber and Evita.

Dakota

Dakota (2022) is Mara and Jacco’s first true “own” male. A cheerful and inquisitive young guy. With his long white eyelashes and black coat, he is a very unique sight to see.

winston

Winston

Winston (2018) was purchased by Mara and Jacco in 2022 to act as a stud stallion to check whether incoming rescue females are pregnant. He has been well treated and cared for his entire life and is a permanent part of the herd.

Axel

Axel (2021) is a calm, shy grey male. He is slowly creeping out of his shell as he learns what each day brings. He now walks well on the leash, though standing still to have his nails trimmed remains a big challenge.