ODESSA, Fla. — Once a year, animals at Golden Spirit Alpaca Ranch drop weight during sheering week— between three and seven fluffy pounds.
Brenda Crum has been on this Alpaca adventure in Odessa for nearly two decades.
“They call it the fiber of the gods. It’s hypoallergenic. It can be very soft, very luxurious,” Crum said.
They’ll cut 120 of these South American natives over the span of three days. But no matter how many times they’ve been shorn, they don’t always participate.
“Because they are so fragile, and they are so cautious, so shy, you have to really understand them,” said Crum.
Enter the professional: Chad Bryan has been doing this for 18 years.
“Don’t try this at home,” said Bryan. “Some of them just lay there. Some of them scream. Some of them spit. Some of them pee on you.”
But Bryan is unperturbed; he remains focused on the procedure.
“You can get hurt. You can hurt the animal,” said Bryan.
His experience helps him understand alpacas and handle them safely.
Meanwhile, Crum separates the soft fiber for things like sweaters, and the coarser pieces are used for houseware.
“Anything that is not touching the skin,” said Crum. “It’s very sustainable, it’s very green. It’s a different type of harvest than what we are used to from animals.”
And it means that visitors can continue to enjoy the animals at Golden Spirit Alpaca Ranch.
There’s just a little less of them.