Tasmania’s elite Huacaya and the Suri alpacas will be primped, preened and ready for the Flying Colours Alpaca Championships in November.
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Held at the Longford Showground on November 10 and 11, Tasmania’s inaugural stand-alone alpaca show features exhibitors from all over the state.
The Northern Alpaca Breeders Network committee established a colour alpaca show in the state’s North, with fleece judging is scheduled for Friday, November 10, and animal judging on Saturday, November 11.
This Tasmanian show was established after uncertainty surrounding Tasmania’s agricultural shows, some of which included alpaca sections, Northern Alpaca Breeders Network president Neil White said.
“The initial idea was to move the Flying Colours Championships throughout the North of the state to various suitable venues annually,” Mr White said.
“The Longford Show Society has supported the network by making the sheep pavilion available to conduct our first colour championships,” he said.
National judge Steve Ridout, of Wildflower Alpacas, will oversee the Tasmanian championships.
“Steve is well known in the industry and is also an alpaca exporter, shipping animals to all parts of the world,” Mr White said.
“Australian-bred alpacas are some of the most sought-after animals,” he said.
One of the reasons for such avid interest in the industry is the unique wool, with the alpaca fibre particularly favoured in China.
Mr Ridout has been exporting alpacas to China, Europe, New Zealand, Thailand and the United States since 2008.
Tasmanian alpaca breeders recently enjoyed success at the Australian Alpaca Championships, with many overseas buyers attending and assessing the animals, Mr White said.
Alpacas live between 15 and 20 years, grow to around one metre and weigh up to 70 kilograms.
They gestate for approximately 335 days, which is almost 11 months, and give birth to crias weighing between six and eight kilograms.
Teenage alpacas are called tuis and then grow into hembras (adult females) and machos (adult males).
The Flying Colours Alpaca Championships is endorsed by the Australian Alpaca Association and open to the public on Saturday, November 11.
Longford Showground opens at 9.30am and entry is free.
For more information about the Flying Colours Alpaca Championships contact Neil White on 0427 261 123.