A Queen’s Perspective: The ‘Daily Life’ of our Alpacas

Note: Meet the Queen and president of the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice Alpacas, as she shares about a day in her life. Did you know that Queen Basilide and our other alpaca friends are available for virtual adoption?

Greetings! My name is Basilide, pronounced Bass-uh-leed, named after the honored Sister Basilide Sénéchal, a founding Sister of Providence. Sister Basilide was described as a “lively, impetuous character” which is not unlike what they say about me.

I will allow those I consider close to me to call me Baz. But you may call me Madam President. Yes, I was elected herd president back in April, but I am also the Queen around the pasture. The Diva, if you will. My leadership skills are undeniable as soon as you step into our pasture.

As part of my responsibilities, I have been asked to give you insight into the day in the life of an alpaca, and not just any alpaca: The Queen of the White Violet Center.

As an elder-states alpaca of 15 years, I am given responsibilities that not every alpaca has.  So I will also give you insight into the daily lives of my royal subjects, including my staff who bring us fresh hay and water every morning starting at 8 am and every afternoon at 2 pm.

Someone also comes around in the evening to be sure we have everything we need for the night as they tuck us in. They determine who might need special feed, vitamins or attention in some way. I, of course, oversee all of that and give my disapproval if needed.

Keeping them in Line

At this point in time, I have also been given the arduous task of overseeing the tutelage of our yearlings. This is not an endeavor that I particularly enjoy, but I will not stand for any shenanigans from these two rambunctious males, Pax and Andre.

The staff know I will keep them in line until they are old enough to join their fellow males to the north near the territories of St. Joseph’s Lake. At that time I, with perhaps some help from the staff, will have trained them to be productive, young ambassadors of sustainability.

Once a month, my staff people will come to give us pedicures if needed. They keep our toes trimmed and give us our injections to keep us free from parasites. While many complain, I being one of the most vehement objectors, I do suppose I understand that it is for our overall herd health.

Although, I have requested that they figure out a way to do it without so much touching! Many of us prefer for our devotees to admire us from afar!

An Educational Ministry

There are many of my alpaca subjects who spend a little time each day training with our staff to be these Ambassadors for Sustainability, as I have mentioned before. The White Violet Center is an educational ministry devoted to caring for all creation and teaching others how to incorporate more sustainable practices into their daily lives.

We alpacas are an eco-friendly animal that spend their days managing the land on which we live in sustainable ways. Our ambassadors help create connections with people while providing serenity, peace and joy to those that come to see us.

We also must have a haircut once a year. This will allow for the fiber to provide luxurious yarn to keep our admirers warm and cozy. Plus, we are such important creatures that even our manure can be turned into incredible natural fertilizers that give nutrients back to the land we love.

You can see why we were a treasured and important part of the Inca civilization. The Incas considered alpaca textiles to be so significant that only members of the royal family and highest officials could have them.

It’s ‘My Castle’

If you drive by my castle (or as you may call it, the barn), most of the time you will see at least some of us. We will be out in the pasture just nibbling the grass, not pulling it up by the roots like common livestock. This helps prevent weeds from moving in. (We are much too refined to eat weeds).

This also helps prevent erosion. We also have toes, not hooves, so we are delicate on the ground. This helps us not to compact the soil which allows grass to grow back quicker. And on top of all that, have you seen how remarkably adorable we are?!

All of us are very curious by nature and will come to greet guests that arrive. However we do like to have our own space, so we tend to squabble amongst each other. I, as the Queen and herd president, will be presented first, upon arrival of the guests. And I will allow entry with gifts of special, staff-approved treats for me and my herd (but mainly me.)

I could expound in a great more detail about our lives and the important work we do. But I must return to my responsibilities befitting my royal title. I do encourage you to join us in our work and learn more.

Sincerely,

The Queen, Basilide

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