I-Alpaca silwane esinamathumbo amanengi,esirhona ukuphila kuhle ngaphasi kobujamo bezulu obubudisi, nalapha kunetlayimedi emakhaza khulu. E-Sewula Africa, ama-alpaca afuywa etlayimedini ehlangana nendawo, aliswe emadlelweni lapha ukudla kwawo kungangezelelwa begodu kuqinisekwe kobana abanoboya obuhle bekhwalithi ehle kanye nokobana ayakhiqiza. Ama-alpaca agudwa kanye ngonyaka.
Ifuyo le, ingahlanganiswa ngokomseme ngeskhathi esinye nesinye sonyaka-ezisikazi ziyenziwa kobana zi-ovulate. Kodwana kubonwa kunqono, kobana ama-crias (nekubantwana bama-alpacas) babelethwe ehlobo (ngoMrhayili ukuya ku-April) nanyana etwasahlobo ngo (Okutoba – Ukuya kuSinyikhaba) kunokobana zenziwe ebusika.
Ukuthenga Ama-Alpaca
Thenga ama-alpaca amahle khulu ongarhona ukuwathenga,okusiyeleliso esibuya kumlimi wama-alpaca eSewula Africa. Abatjali abatjha bama-alpaca bangasebenzisa imali engange R20 000 – R25 000 ngonyaka ka-(2019) kwasikazi amancani azithweleko. Umhlobo wama-alpacas i-herdsire aduna asetjenziselwa ukwandisa amanye angabiza hlangana kwemali angenge - R15 000 - ukuya ku-R18 000 nanyana ukudlula lokho, kutjho u-Dr Gavin Lindhorst, omfuyi we-alpaca, nawathumela kwezinye iinarha. Ama-alpaca asetjenziselwa ukwelusa imihlambi nanyana asetjenziswa njengenlwane zekhaya, akabizi khulu.
Vakatjhela abafuyi bama-alpaca, ufunde ngentandadi zokufuywa kwama-alpaca, umlando wokuwafuya, uhlole ijmitiya wawo uqale ne-alpaca eliduna elisetjenziswa emhlanjini. Nange ufuna ukwakha umhlambi masinya, thoma ngezisikazi ezizithweleko kuyelelisa u-Dr Lindhorst.
Ngaphandle kwefuyo ethunyelwe enarheni le, ibuya inarheni ye-Peru kanye ne-Chile, iSewula Africa sele ilethe ama-alpaca abuya enarheni ye-Austrialia. Inarha ye-Australia sele ithole wengazi ze-Peru, begodu inalapho itlole khona amarikhodi, begodu itjengisa kobana iphalisana nama-alpaca akhamba phambil,kutjho u-Dr Lindhorst.
Ukungezelela, ifuyo ye-Australia sele ingenwa mapharasayidi kanye namalwelwe wefuyo ajwayelekileko, lokha ama-alpaca ahlala eentabeni eziphezulu ze-Andes - (+3 000 m) anganawo amagciwani ngebanga lokobana kuyintaba anganamagciwani.
Ukufuya Ama-Alpaca
Ama-Alpaca angafuyelwa umqopho wokobana agade ifuyo, kodwana sikhathini esinengi afuyelwa umthiya wawo omuhle omnengi nokungewekhwalithi. Lokhu akwenziwa kwaphela masotja wesilwane kodwana nakuzipha kuhle ukudla kanye nokuzitlhogomela kuhle. Ukwenza isibonelo, ukutlhogomela amadlelo kunqiphisa ukobana imithiya ingenwe malwelwe (utjani kanye namanyeva eboyeni lokha nabugudwako.
Ama-Alpaca abekwa emadlelweni afana newe-kikuyu nanyana i-Eragrostis, begodu amanye adla i-fynbos eseKharu. Ukuzipha amadlelo, kungangezelelwa ngokobana ziphiwe isphila, kanye nehlanganisela yamamineralu njalonjalo. Ukudla kwamadonki, nasele kuhlanganiswe nembewu ye-lupin kanye nokudla kwenlwane zesirhweni. Kuqakathekile kobana kutjhejwe kobana i-alpaca inarhono lokudosa izakhimzimba emadlelweni angasi mahle, kodwana abafuyi nanyana kunjalo bagcugcuzelwa kobana bangezelela amadlelo nokunye ukudla kwefuyo.
Uyeleliswa kobana ulungise iplasi, libe namakampa aneleko, kobana zingarhona ukudla kiwo ngokuwadlheganisa. Yelela ungazalisi ifuyo enengi. Amakampa ahlukahlukeneko ayatlhogeka kobana arhone ukuhlalisa iinqhema ezahlukahlukeneko ezifana nezisikazi ezizithweleko kanye neziduna ezincani, amunyako kanye nama-alpaca atlhoga ukutlhogonyelwa khulu - inlwane ezingalthoga imitjhoga kanye nokudla okukhethekileko.
Ama-alpaca asikazi - (hembras) alungle kobana angafuywa lokha nakanenyaga eziyi-18 ukuya kweziyi-22, begodu arhona ukubeletha i-cria ngemva kwamalanga ayi-340. Ngemva kwemveke ezimbili kwaphela ibelethile, irhona ukuya emsemeni. Akukavami bona ibelethe amawele.
Kutlhogeka kobana iinzipho zawo zenyaweni kanye namazinyo wazo kuhlolwe qobe ngonyaka, begodu kuphungulwe Nange kutlhogeka, begodu ukugonywa kwawo, kuyafana nekwezimvu. Lokhu kufaka hlangana ukuzivikela emalwelweni afana newe-bluetongue virus, Rift Valley Fever kanye namalwelwe we-Clostridia.
Ukuguda Ama-Alpaca
Ama-Alpaca agudwa uboya kanye ngonyaka, etwasahlobo-ngoSeptember ukuya ku-October okuya ngokobana amazinga womtjhiso ajame njani-begodu angagudwa anenyanga ezilithoba kwaphela. Kusetjenziswa iinsetjenziswa ezifanako, nalezo zokuguda izimvu, kodwana utjhefana okhethekileko wokuguda ama-alpaca usetjenziselwa ukutjhiya imithiya okungasenani oyi-4 mm emzimbeni. Ama-Alpaca aneskhumba esiqinileko kunesemvu, begodu kutlhogeka kobana agudwe ngokutjheja ukwenzela bona angalimali.
Uboya obuzombeleze intamo phasi, ukufikela emsileni kanye noboya obuzombeleze amahlangothi womzimbawo ngobuhle khulu. Imithiya esehlokwazo kanye nemsileni, iyagudwa nayo, nasele imide khulu, kodwana ayisetjenziswa ngebanga lokobana iqine khulu.
Translated by Busisiwe Skhosana