Corvallis llama and alpaca sanctuary reports nine successful rescues

Corvallis, Montana – Montana is home to llamas and alpacas, despite the fact that bears, elk, cows, and horses are the state’s most well-known animals.

“In the late 90s, everybody started moving in. It was a big thing. People were breeding left and right. They wanted the stud quality males and females for breeding. The money was big. And then it started dropping. And people started getting out of the business, giving llamas away,” Char Hakes, Safe Haven Llama and Alpaca Sanctuary founder said.

Hakes established Safe Haven in 2005 with the intention of rehabilitating llamas and alpacas who had been abused or abandoned. At one point, she had roughly ninety at the sanctuary.

Recently, nine llamas with nowhere else to go were brought in from a nearby village. After spending time outdoors in the bitter cold, a few of them arrived in the sanctuary with their ear tips frozen off. They suddenly have newfound vigor.

“We do rehab with them. Like we’re going to be doing with these,” Hakes mentioned while gesturing towards the new herd. She continued, “They will get the best of everything that they need.”

While in Char’s care, they will get an abundance of hay and pellets, regular veterinarian examinations, specialized treatment for headaches, haircuts, sheers, and nail trims. However, Hakes states that their assistance will only be available “as long as we have people who are donating and care about them.”

Being a non-profit, Safe Haven relies on donations to keep their animals healthy. “I’ve noticed that I think people are kind of forgetting about us because we are llamas and alpacas. We’re not horses and dogs and cats. But, we have animals that we need to help. We need your help and appreciate it,” Hakes explained.

One hundred percent of donations go toward giving the animals comfort and care.