Social - May 2003

Llamas lure couple to Lincolnton

Love at first sight

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

VALE — About 10 years ago, Kathy Jeranek began a love affair that continues to this day.

She was in Winston-Salem when she spotted him, and he was like nothing she’d ever seen. He was tall and skinny with a long neck that stretched upward, and his ears perked up when he was happy.

It was llama love at first sight.

“They’ve totally changed my life,” said Kathy, a first-grade teacher at Catawba Springs Elementary School. “They’re just really neat animals.”

After getting that first male at that livestock show, Kathy and her husband, Ed, own 33 llamas and two Australian shepherd dogs, Tuxedo and Belle, to herd them on their picturesque farm off Meadowview Lane.

Kathy, a self-described city girl originally from Charlotte, never expected to live on the farm, which was supposed to be a weekend getaway. The llamas altered that plan.

The Jeraneks now take their llamas to compete in shows around the eastern United States. They are very active in the Southern States Llama Association, sharing tips with other llama owners.

Llamas usually give birth in the spring and fall, and sure enough, the Jeraneks have three new babies, or “crias,” in a separate pen from the rest of the herd with their mothers.

The crias were each born on a special date this spring. The first two made their first appearance in the world on Good Friday and Mother’s Day and are growing at the rate of about a pound a day.

The most recent arrival was a male born the morning of May 20, the day Kathy was named Lincoln County Schools’ Teacher of the Year.

Kathy gives each of the llamas names like Savannah and Sampson, but nothing has fit for this particular cria yet. Maybe it’s because there just seems to be something unique about him.

“We’ve got to find the right name,” Kathy said. “Nothing has just hit me. Most of them I immediately have a name for, but for some reason the names I’m thinking of are girls’ names.”

Most crias are born between 20 and 35 pounds, but this one checked in at just 12.9 pounds, the lightest newborn the Jeraneks have ever had. He also has a tendency to squeak when Kathy picks him up, a trait she’s never seen before.

White with two large, dark brown patches on his body and still thin, this cria, like all llamas, is naturally inquisitive. When a stranger walks into the pen, he cautiously strays away from his mother, Cameo, and nudges his long neck forward to investigate. He seems to enjoy playing with Belle, too, running back and forth on one side of the fence while the dog follows on the other.

Llamas, which are from South America, are becoming increasingly popular in the United States.

They are intelligent animals that are relatively easy to train, according to Kathy, and require less maintenance than most livestock. While each has its own unique personality, they are generally friendly, gentle creatures with a calming influence.

Llamas have a reputation for spitting at people, but it’s one that Kathy said is undeserved. The notion of spitting llamas is derived mainly from petting zoos, she said, where they are handled too often and develop a fear of humans.

Llamas can cost anywhere from $500 to $100,000 depending on their bloodline, wool and other characteristics. For Kathy, they’re worth every penny.

“This makes life worthwhile,” she said.

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Staff Writer Jeremy Ashton can be reached at 704-735-3031 or jashton@ltnews.com.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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