Llamas have been used as guard animals in North America since the early 1980s, and have been proven by University studies to be very effective. Many ranchers and farmers prefer them because they are less expensive to feed than guard dogs, live longer and won’t eat babies like dogs.
A Tillman guard llama is raised with alpacas. We also take them “out to pasture” every winter on 160 wild acres. The area is heavily populated with coyotes, bobcats and cougars. So our llamas get to know their adversaries first-hand.
"I awoke one morning to find Juneau standing with his face against the bedroom window “alarm calling.” I hurried over to the window to find two newly weaned female alpacas stuck in the electric fence. Thanks to Juneau’s alarm, they recovered." —
Robin Day, Luna Rosa Ranch
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"Coyote predation on sheep has been a problem for many years. Several methods are used to reduce this predation. Guard llamas offer a viable, non-lethal alternative for reducing predation, while requiring little specialized training and care." — Guard Llama Study, Iowa State University
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