Alpaca boom prevails in Greater Helsinki area
In part as a result of stressed people’s wish to “get back to nature”, an unlikely alpaca-boom arrived in Finland at the beginning of the current millennium.
Anne Backman, a former stable girl, bought her first alpacas in Chile in 2004. Her farm is located in Nurmijärvi, not far from Helsinki, and she is interested in the breeding of alpacas.
Backman owns a total of 16 alpacas, and in addition, she has a few animals in care.
An alpaca as a companion animal costs around EUR 3,000 to 4,000, while the prices for female animals fit for breeding is in the range of EUR 6,000 and upwards.
The alpaca is a gregarious herd animal from the level plateaus of the Andes of Southern Peru and Northern Chile. The species is related to camels and llamas.
Alpacas are mainly producers of wool-like fibre. The alpaca fibre is a luxury product and can be compared to mohair and angora. Its wool is very soft, and nearly hypoallergenic. It can be used for example for blankets, pillows, and for a wide variety of textiles.
There are already four alpaca ranches in the communities around Helsinki. Apparently there are altogether some 200 alpacas in Finland, and the numbers are growing.