BAS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
The BAS is committed to providing education and training on all aspects of alpaca ownership and management.
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he British Alpaca Society is very keen on training and education writes BAS CEO Duncan Pullar. We see it as a crucial service for our members that helps ensure the wellbeing of the alpacas, we all love. The aim is to give members the tools and knowledge to meet the needs of their alpacas. Alpaca owners are a remarkably diverse bunch with a hugely different range of skills and experience. The BAS recognises this and offers a layered approach to training and education. There are some basics you need to know when you start out with alpacas but as you gain experience your appetite to learn will increase and some more advanced learning is required. To try and help everyone find the right training for the right time in their alpaca journey the following sections give a flavour of what is on offer.
Early stages
BAS Affiliate Trainers deliver 11 modules approved by the Society: Module 1: Catching your alpaca Module 2: Fitting a head collar Module 3: Halter training Module 4: Feeding and basic management Module 5: Vaccination, worming and supplements Module 6: Alpaca breeding Module 7: Alpaca mating Module 8: Birthing Module 9: Shearing Module 10: What do to with fleece Module 11: Marketing your alpaca business 76 Alpaca Yearbook 2021
The BAS website is a great source of resources for information about alpacas. When you are thinking about buying alpacas or have recently bought some then the Alpacapedia section is a great place to start (www.bas-uk.com). The alpaca care section has the basics on breeding, feeding, weaning and handling. The welfare section covers all the main elements and has some good short videos covering husbandry skills. For hands on training the best early stage courses are those delivered by BAS Affiliates. There are 11 modules which are often delivered over two days (Day 1 module 1-5 and Day 2 modules 6 -11). The material in the modules was produced by an expert BAS team and the courses are delivered by experienced BAS members who have been approved as affiliate trainers. The courses are advertised on the BAS website and one day typically costs £75 to £100 for one person.
Further learning
After a few years of alpaca ownership you may want to learn more about these fascinating animals. The formal mainstay of training at this stage is the one-day Alpaca Evaluation Course. This covers: • Basic conformation including teeth, stature, genitalia, legs, gait and body scoring. • Fleece – how to recognise the different qualities and traits of fibre including weight and value, fineness, density, crimp, uniformity, length, colour, amplitude and frequency and an introduction to histograms. There is also the opportunity to assess fleeces and discuss the merits of different qualities and styles. These courses are limited to a maximum of 12 people on the day and the cost to BAS members is £65 plus VAT. For non members the cost is £85 plus VAT. Course times and details are advertised on the BAS website. Many ad hoc training opportunities are offered by the various BAS regional alpaca groups. In normal times these are delivered through group workshops and meetings but in the last year many have continued online through video conferencing and webinars. The advantage of a video conference is that you can join a regional group meeting from anywhere without travelling from home! Some have