Alpaca farming for fiber has grown globally, with welfare considerations around shearing, social housing, and veterinary care specific to this camelid species.
Alpacas are prey animals with strong flight responses that make routine management including shearing, vaccination, and hoof trimming inherently stressful without appropriate low-stress handling techniques. Traditional restraint methods including casting alpacas to the ground for shearing cause fear responses. Trained handlers using low-stress approaches significantly reduce welfare costs during management. Alpacas need companionship as an absolute welfare requirement. Separation causes severe distress, and solitary keeping is a serious welfare violation.