Santa Fe, New Mexico has short durations of heat during the summer, and this summer we set some heat records. Since we shear the herd in May, they at least don’t have a heavy coat in which to endure the hot summer days of late June and July. Alpacas originate from high altitude areas in which the days may be warm, but the nights will cool down to near freezing. While the temperatures of the area cool down at night, the heat wave can cause stress to the animals, so we cool them down in the afternoons.

Each afternoon around 2 or 3 o’clock, I drag the hose with sprayer to the barn and turn the hose on to cool down the alpacas. They love this activity and vie for space in front of the hose spray. The girls especially, gather in a group and Lulu who is the queen of the group takes her place close to the hose while the other girls wait their turn. After the cool down, each alpaca finds a space of cush and bask in their wet state. It’s a great time for all.