lost creek llamas

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Statement of ethics   Lost Creek Llamas puts llamas' well-being first -- before human desires and feelings. We believe that includes teaching llamas safe and responsible behavior as is necessary for domestic animals who must live with and around humans, and enforcing that behavior regardless of the emotional or political consequences to ourselves. We employ handling, training and management practices that minimize risk to llamas' physical and emotional well-being as much as is possible. We limit our breeding to a few llamas that always produce purebred or true-to-type offspring that are in high demand, and we limit yearly production to the number of cria that we can effectively habituate, train, and interact with on a daily basis throughout their lives until physical maturity at age four. We guarantee our llamas. We hold that llamas' well-being and buyer satisfaction are inseparable. We support and participate in llama rescue and rescue prevention. We fix our mistakes. We also take in others' mistakes, but only as much as our time and facilities permit. We believe that everybody makes mistakes, and although everybody should clean up after themselves, we acknowledge that some people do not have the necessary knowledge or abilities to do so, and that some llamas will always be victims of unethical practices (such as owners who chose not to clean up after themselves) through no fault of their own. At the same time, we acknowledge that we have limits, our time is limited, and that we must make sound, mature choices that prioritize our own continued health and wellbeing as well as the health and wellbeing of the llamas and other animals that we're already committed to. We cannot rescue the world. We can help some ... up to our legitimate (not fantasized) capacities. Are you breeding llamas?   Take our challenge!   Only breed llamas -- males and females -- that have PROVEN to EXCEL at an in-demand end use, such as packing or fiber production! Don't breed any female before she's four years old! Leave each breeding female open every other year or every third year! Identify the bottom 25% (or more) of your females . . . and don't breed them at all! Geld all but the top 10% of your males, and do it by 18 months! Only sell trained, mature, suitable llamas to new llama owners! Rescue, rehab, foster, or adopt at least one llama for EVERY one you produce!   We can do it . . . can you?   Llama breeding itself isn't bad; it's how the tool is used!   Remember ... if you don't rescue, don't breed! Return to Lost Creek Llamas home page