This camel simply wanted to be included in the shoot. Photos: Denise Crawford

Alpacas are certifiably cute. But there’s a lot more to the woolly wonders that Melkbosstrand freelance photographer Denise Crawford recently photographed.

Crawford encountered the alpacas when she visited the Alpaca Loom Coffee Shop and Weaving Studio on Klein Landskroon farm outside Paarl over the Easter Weekend to do a family photo shoot. And what with the wonderful assortment of animals around, some of these simply had to be photographed too. One photo of the lucky couple features a dromedarie (camel) looking very inquisitive. “He wanted to be in the photo. He came running!” Crawford laughs.

Companion animals
The owners of the Alpaca Loom Coffee Shop and Weaving Studio, Dietmar and Kerstin Keil, own lamas, two donkeys, five dromedaries and 350 alpacas.

Charlie the donkey and his alpaca friend.

One of the donkeys, called Charlie, is friends with an alpaca, Crawford says. “He bumps the alpaca if he stands still too long for his liking.” After doing the family portraits the intrepid photographer went on to snap the alpacas, and paid R5 for horse muesli which she fed by hand to them.

Very intelligent to boot
According to owner Dietmar Keil one would not buy a single alpaca, but two, as they are companion animals. They are very intelligent and are used in touch therapy overseas. Locally, they are sometimes used to guard animals.

You can head over to the Alpaca Loom Coffee Shop and Weaving Studio on 30 April, which is National Alpaca Day.