MEADOWVIEW, Va. — It was a day at the spa last week for nearly 90 alpacas at a Meadowview farm.
People are also reading…
Carolyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer in Glade Spring, Virginia. Contact her at news@washconews.com.
Springtime shearing begins at Meadowview alpaca farm
1 of 18
A sheared alpaca is a happy alpaca.
Visiting shearer Eric Tongate from Marion County, Kentucky, shears the blanket coat, the premium quality of fiber. Coral Tongate (left) holds the head of the alpaca as Cindi Damron bags the fiber that will be sent to a mill.
The alpaca is coerced to the barn floor where the skill of the professional shearer and a set of electric shears are put to the test.
It’s spa day for this fuzzy and cute alpaca that appears to be glad he’s getting a spring haircut.
It’s spa day for this fuzzy and cute alpaca that appears to be glad he’s getting a spring haircut.
David McLeish holds a bag of blanket fibers sheared off the backs of the alpaca. The fibers are sent to a knitting mill in Gallatin, Tennessee, where they are spun into yarn and used by his wife to make hats, gloves, scarves, headbands, shawls and rugs.
Coral Tongate holds the head of the alpaca as her husband Eric Tongate does the shearing.
David McLeish gets a kiss from an alpaca as Debbie McLeish cleans the coat with an electric air hose.
Cindi Damron’s job is to trim the feet of the alpacas.
Eric Tongate shears the alpaca as Coral Tongate and Cindi Damron assist.
The fibers are soft as cashmere and warm as wool but contain no lanolin, making it a good choice for people with allergies.
The alpaca owner estimated more than 400 pounds of fiber was harvested from the animals on his farm from a three-day shearing.
The fibers are soft as cashmere and warm as wool but contain no lanolin, making it a good choice for people with allergies.
A sheared alpaca is a happy alpaca.
A sheared alpaca is a happy alpaca.
A sheared alpaca is a happy alpaca.
A sheared alpaca is a happy alpaca.
The spring ritual marks the tenth anniversary the owners of Dreamland Alpacas have raised alpacas, a job they describe as a "true joy."
Most Popular
Area law enforcement credited a Chilhowie business with helping solve an industry theft. On Aug. 17, the Washington County Sheriff's Office la…
A sitting member of the Saltville Town Council, who first served the town as a department head, died last weekend.
The park and recreation area long envisioned for Marion’s Callan Drive area possesses the potential to improve the quality of life of not just…
Despite strong opposition from citizens during a December public hearing on a proposed loitering ordinance, the Marion Town Council will take …
The Saltville Police Department sent the only Virginia law enforcement representative to join a unique team in Washington, D.C., for the count…
