Wild Alpacas in Andes Mountains

Travelling through the Amazing Andes mountains I came across these Wild Alpaca & decided video my experience. At 4000m above sea level, however keeping up with them is easier said than done! The Air/Co2 is so thin.

Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, western Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3,500 m (11,500 ft) to 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea level, throughout the year. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike llamas, they were not bred to be working animal, but were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, similar to wool.

As a result of the Spanish invasion, alpacas were forced to move higher into the mountains and remained there permanently. Although alpacas had almost been wiped out completely, they were rediscovered sometime during the 19th century by Europeans. After finding uses for them the animals became important to societies during the industrial revolution.

Today, alpacas can be found all over the world, only excluding the Antarctic.