Peruvian scarf made from alpaca wool attracts distant furry cousin to care home

A pair of alpacas names Oli and Jimmy made their way to a care home in Salisbury and managed to sniff out the wool of a distant relative.

To the surprise of residents at Braemar Lodge nursing home, three-year-old Oliver and his one-year-old brother Jimmy, poked their head through a bedroom window at the care home on 20 September and entered the lounge where 15 residents were seated before singling out resident Margaret Downing.

Margaret Downing was wearing a blue alpaca wool scarf she’d bought on holiday in Peru and it attracted some curious sniffs and looks from the visitors and particularly close attention from Jimmy who lingered by the resident's side.

Alpaca fleece is at least three times warmer than most sheep’s wool and much finer. It is hypo-allergenic and super soft, so can be worn by those whose skin is irritated by sheep's wool.

Under the supervision of handler Wendy Williams from Shaftesbury-based Alpaca Adventure, the animals got friendly with residents through bedroom windows. And Ms Williams is planning to visit other care homes in the coming months, to give more older people a few laughs.

Resident Barbara Ryrie said of the animals: “They are beautiful creatures, really lovely to see face to face and with amazing coats.”

Three stomachs but not hungry

Despite having three stomachs each and getting invitations from residents for them to stay till tea-time, the brothers didn’t stay for a bite to eat. Having nibbled on grasses and small plants before they arrived, they left after an hour.

Alpacas are a member of the camel family, Camelidae, are closely related to the llama and hail from high altitudes in South America.

As well as scarves, their wool is made into carpets, dresses and is even suitable as roof insulation material.

With an expected life span of 15-20 years, alpacas are adaptable to most climates and altitudes. They don't rip the plants out of the ground and with eight alpacas requiring only one acre of pasture, they are suited to use on farms.

Two alpacas hit headlines for attack at care home

The large animals are used on some farms to protect flocks of sheep from attacks from foxes. However, last year two alpacas became the victims of an attack themselves in the grounds of Danesmoor Nursing Home in Haslingden, which specialises in dementia care for older people.

CCTV footage captured footage of a large bench and two plastic garden chairs being thrown at the animals, named Bill and Ben.

Two men, who entered the animals’ enclosures on the care home’s grounds in the middle of the night, also chased the two siblings around the enclosure with a broken chair leg.