Jolene Hewitt, volunteer coordinator at the Bernalillo County Animal Care and Resource Center, tries unsuccessfully to hand-feed 10-year-old Lima the llama. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal)
Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal
Lima the llama rolls around on the ground of his pen at the Bernalillo County Animal Care and Resource Center, unfazed by the dirt and straw that sticks to his thick, chocolate-colored fur.
Lima is not particularly sociable. He is skittish and has been known to spit and sometimes kick. As ornery as he seems now, wait until the 10-year-old animal has to be sterilized before he’s available for adoption, jokes Candace Sanchez, the center’s outreach manager.
Llamas are a rarity at the center, whose usual complement of animals is, not surprisingly, dogs and cats. They do get the occasional rooster, hen, snake or other reptile, and they recently adopted out a good-natured young pig named Jimmy Dean – who might not be so good natured if he understood the irony of his name.
Lima the llama waits to be adopted at the Bernalillo County Animal Care and Resource Center. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal)
Finding a home for 350-pound Lima may be a bit more difficult, Sanchez said. He was relinquished to the shelter by an elderly South Valley man who could no longer care for the animal on his property. Llamas are high maintenance animals and have special needs, particularly regarding the grooming of their coats and their diet.
“He eats llama pellets that are a little pricey and right now we can only find it at a store in Corrales,” Sanchez said. He also gets a fair amount of hay, fruits and melons.
Llamas live an average of about 15 years, though some can live to 20, she said. At 10 years old, Lima is considered a senior.
The website for Bernalillo County Animal Care Services posts photos of animals available for adoption, including Lima. In the month since the center took possession of him, “only one individual came in who was interested in meeting the llama, but he didn’t have any experience in caring for these animals,” Sanchez said. After he was informed about the requirements for daily care, he lost interest pretty quickly.
Still, Sanchez said she is optimistic that eventually the right person will show up to provide Lima with permanent lodging.
He is not the only one in need of a home.
The shelter is currently 50% over capacity. Its inventory of more than 230 animals includes 109 dogs and 119 cats, of which 70 are kittens, along with two roosters. The abundance of kittens is also occurring at the city’s shelters, she said.
Located on about five acres at 3001 Second SW, the county Animal Care and Resource Center is a full-service facility with a veterinary clinic providing in-house surgeries, microchip and sterilization services, space for lost animals, adoptions and volunteer opportunities. The center is working with rescue groups and organizations, both inside and outside of New Mexico, to find homes for its animals, Sanchez said.
The center had only been open about a year when COVID-19 restrictions went into place. During the pandemic, Sanchez said, animal adoptions remained strong as people worked from home or stayed home after losing jobs, and wanted animal companionship.
“Unfortunately, the downside of it was once things started opening up, not only did adoptions slow, but we started to see some of those pets coming back because people couldn’t care for them anymore,” she said.
In addition, people who had non-spayed or non-neutered animals were reluctant to go to veterinary clinics during the pandemic, which led to the abundance of kittens now showing up at shelters, Sanchez said.
“We need the community’s help. We have some wonderful animals, of all kinds, available for adoption,” she said. “Each pet leaves here fully vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and microchipped with one-year licensing. Our adoptions are always free with the goal of finding the best home for every animal.”
And that includes one ornery llama.
