Alpacas and llamas are used for their fiber, pack use and meat. However, that’s not what caught Linda Hayes’ affection. “Oh, the big eyes and the soft fur and the long eye lashes. They’re just neat animals,” she said. Hayes was honored with an achievement award during the alpaca/llama show at the National Western Stock Show on Jan. 7. The show was put on by the Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies, an organization dedicated to advancing the interests of the alpaca industry and increasing the visibility of the animals. “It’s an exhibit show to let the public know about alpacas, learn about alpacas, handle alpacas, touch them,” said Kim Taha, who owns an alpaca ranch and is president of the ABR. The show began nine years ago and Taha hopes the show will expand. Currently, the organization can only host around 175 animals due to space limitations.

During the show, the animals are put through their paces. They are judged on fleece quality, how well they follow instructions and how they handle being in a human environment around people. According to Jessie Mazurek, alpacas are still seen as exotic. She and her husband Sam Mazurek raise alpacas together in Evergreen, Colo. Her hope is that events like the one at the stock show will get people to think of alpacas as common livestock animals, much like sheep or cows. The Mazurek’s interest in alpacas was originally piqued one year when they were visiting the stock show.