Why keep Llamas?

In our opinion, the potential of these intelligent and versatile animals is greatly underestimated. Llamas have a wide range of practical uses and are particularly well suited to the landscapes and farming conditions found in Western Norway.

Llamas are not true ruminants. They belong to the camel family and are more closely related to camels than to traditional livestock. They thrive on low-quality pasture and graze on a wide variety of vegetation, including grasses, herbs, shrubs, bushes and even nettles. This makes them excellent animals for maintaining open farmland and preserving the cultural landscape.

Llamas have great respect for fences and require only simple shelter. A basic three-sided shelter with a roof is usually sufficient to protect them from the weather, keeping infrastructure costs low.

They can also be trained as livestock guardians. In several countries, llamas are used to help protect sheep and goats from predators thanks to their alert and confident temperament.

As pack animals, llamas are exceptionally well suited to rough and mountainous terrain. They can comfortably carry 20–30% of their own body weight over long distances. Their soft, padded feet with toenails cause very little damage to the ground compared with animals that have hooves.

Llamas produce a soft, high-quality fibre. Once the coarse guard hairs are removed, the remaining fleece is exceptionally fine and naturally free from lanolin. This makes llama fibre an excellent choice for people who are allergic to traditional sheep's wool. Selective breeding is also producing llamas with even finer fibre and fewer—or no—guard hairs.

Llama meat is tender, flavourful and naturally lean, containing only around 3% fat. Its taste is often described as somewhere between venison and beef. As interest in sustainable food production grows, llama meat may become an attractive niche product for the future.

Llamas are also inexpensive to keep. Winter feed for an adult llama costs approximately NOK 800, and around two round bales of silage are usually enough to meet its winter feeding requirements. They are generally healthy animals with few medical problems and are easy to train and handle.

For many people, however, it is the combination of intelligence, calm temperament and remarkable versatility that makes the llama such a special animal—one that is both a pleasure to own and rewarding to work with.