The camels in Shuswap found a new home just in time.
Llama Sanctuary rescues and restores llamas and alpacas. The shelter has recently operated from a temporary location in Vernon after moving from its previous Shuswap home in August 2022. The site is only available for llamas until March 31, 2023, which has just passed.
On Wednesday, March 29, the owners of Llama Sanctuary got a new property and had to remove everything from their old property within two days.
“We never lost hope,” says co-owner/co-founder David Chapman. “We know there’s something out there, we just keep calling people we know in different places and somewhere will know someone who has something.”
Chapman confirmed that the llamas have moved to their new home, in the middle of the Mara near the lake.
He said the move was a difficult one, with little time to organize and a strict time frame.
“We are very grateful to the owners who have been hosting the llama sanctuary until now, but the rules in place for leaving are so complicated and extreme that it’s difficult to leave,” Chapman said.
Chapman said the shelter was grateful to their hosts but said it had been a very challenging day and he and his partner, Lynne Milson, were finally at around 5 a.m. on April 1, the day after the move. climbed into bed.
However, Chapman said he was thankful that no llamas were injured or jumped over fences, as has happened before during the move.
The new property does not have any fencing, and the sanctuary is renting a nearby site to keep the camels in until corrals can be set up. The llama’s new home also required the construction of a shelter, as there were no buildings on the land and no water or electricity connections. The next step, Chapman said, will be to move the rest of the equipment into place and build the infrastructure in the coming weeks.
Asked if the llama now has a permanent home, Chapman said they still have to wait and see.
“We’ll have to play with it and see how it goes. It was initially offered to us as a temporary and all the work had to happen, it was a huge investment so we had to make some arrangements. Everything is very open at the moment , we’ve seen how we get on with each other, and thankfully, it’s been really good so far.”
Going forward, the shelter needs funds to help build. The last move cost about $34,000, and this one is estimated to have cost nearly $26,000, Chapman said.
The sanctuary intends to reopen to visitors as soon as possible, and Chapman said fan-favorite animals like Paul the alpaca are eager to welcome guests.
Donors can sponsor llamas or donate directly to the sanctuary llamasanctuary.com.
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Animal Rescue Shuswap