Alpacas: Synthesis of a Miracle (Hardcover)

by Michael Safley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A comprehensive and entertaining book that discusses both alpaca breeding and the history of the alpaca industry in Peru. -- Kerry Anderson, A Star Alpacas, Fort Collins, Colorado

A factual, detailed, and emotional account of the interplay between the alpaca and the human element. -- John Howard, Thorn Apple Farm, Port Allegany, Pennsylvania

The tool needed by the North American Alpaca Industry to move forward into the next generation of profit from alpacas. -- Carol Thayer, Blonde Velvet & Me, Camas, Washington

Product Description
For thousands of years, the alpaca, a New World camel related to the vicuña, has grazed quietly in the high altitude of the Peruvian Andes. However, since Peru created the Council of National Camelids of South America (CONACS), and it became legal to export alpacas to other nations, the animals renowned for producing the "fiber grown closest to heaven," have begun grazing worldwide, in North America, Australia, Europe.

For many alpaca owners, breeding can be a hit or miss affair. Serious breeders have had to search out breeding information from texts written for sheep, cattle, or horse breeders. In Alpacas: Synthesis of a Miracle, Mike Safley has distilled 15 years of personal experience breeding alpacas, documented information gleaned from dozens of trips to Peru and conversations with Peruvian breeders and textile manufacturers, and gathered together for the first time all the information alpaca owners need to breed their animals for specific traits and to improve the quality of their animals.

In this comprehensive text, Safley covers the history of alpacas and the production of fiber from the time of their domestication by the Incas through the use of modern genetic theory by Peruvian, North American, and Australian breeders. He discusses the role the show ring plays in the selection of animals now, and how breeders can use genetics and selection to scientifically raise the quality of their herds. Past-president of the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association and the Alpaca Registry, Inc., Safley proposes breeding standards that will lead to an improvement in both suris and huacayas. He does not shy away from controversial subjects such as the crossbreeding of suris and huacayas, and the use of inbreeding to fix desirable characteristics and eliminate possible genetic defects.

Woven throughout the text is the human story of the alpaca in the biographies of Julio Barreda, one of the world's most highly regarded alpaca breeders, and Frank Webster Michell, innovative textile producer, both of whom contributed to the modern market for alpaca fiber. Safley traces Barreda's life from his introduction to alpacas at six yearsof age, through the years of governmental reform and bloody terrorism, to his determined and systematic improvement of his herd. Michell, an Englishman, came to Peru looking for chinchilla, and stayed to create a fully integrated alpaca textile producing industry that keeps the income from this lovely fiber in Peru. Drawn from days of personal interviews, family documents and old herd records, Safley's insight is of inestimable value to those interested in alpaca.

Alpacas: Synthesis of a Miracle is compelling reading for anyone who owns or breeds alpacas, or anyone merely interested in the history of these enchanting animals whose high-quality fiber was once worn only by the Sun Kings who ruled the Incas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 381 pages
• Publisher: Not Avail (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970968701
• ISBN-13: 978-0970968708
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,856,436 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alpacas: Past, Present and Future!, July 20, 2003

By	CURTIS W DRAKE III (Worland, WY United States) - See all my reviews

Wow! To any alpaca breeder trying to decide what to breed for; this book is for you. Mr. Safley covers the history of the alpaca fiber industry in Peru; as well as genetics, tips for selecting alpacas, theories on color inheritance, creation of a breeding program, discussion on the suri gene, and much more. I am so glad to have gotten my hands on this book before purchasing my first alpacas. It helped me decide what my goals would be and what to consider when evaluating a breeding plan. Even seasoned alpaca breeders could benefit from reading this book.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complete, May 9, 2003

By	SL Horner (Wilsonville, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This is a comprehensive piece of work whose scope and detail would make anyone proud. You must want to read this tome as it is a tad thorough. This should be considered a resource for the alpaca enthusiast & those looking to answer the question of what is an alpaca. You can read the parts that interest you & skip the genetics lesson or not. I enjoyed the whole book & would recommend it to anyone who is seeking more about alpaca's. They are truely wonderful animals.