Llook! East Idaho’s llargest pack llama farm!
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REXBURG — It’s not as rare as you might think to see a llama ranch in Idaho, but local ranchers Kirstin and Beau Baty say they’ve got some of the most unique kind — classic Ccara llamas.
When the couple got married, Beau said Kirstin would would have to be willing to keep a small pack of llamas, but the Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas ranch has grown to nearly 70 animals.
“The Inca used the Ccara llama 6,000 years ago for packing,” Kirstin Baty said.
And they’re still used for that. Along with breeding and selling, Baty also rents llamas out for camping or hunting trips.
“We like to go out and backpack and hunt, move light and fast and get up high,” Baty’s brother Josh Gundersen said. “Llamas enable us to hunt where we want to hunt.”
Gundersen said he never saw himself pursuing the lifestyle of llama ranching, but raising the pack animals has become a family affair.
“No one ever thinks, ‘I’m gonna go buy llamas,'” Gundersen said. “The first time you go out with a Ccara and spend time in the mountains with them, they’re awesome, but I never thought I would raise llamas.”
“It’s definitely been an interesting adventure, but llamas, they’re really peaceful creatures,” Baty said.
Classic llamas aren’t bred for wool, but for height, stature, and ultimately packing.
“Seventy pounds as a rule-of-thumb is as much as we pack on them,” Baty said.
Because of the rigorous process of importing llamas they’re no longer allowed to be brought into the U.S., although they may be exported. Baty and Gundersen are doing their best to keep the breed alive in the United States.
“You can’t really find classic llamas around any more. The more we looked for llamas the more we realized there weren’t any,” Gundersen said.
The llama breeders say they hope to involve the community more in learning about these unique animals.
“Our goal is to promote llamas to people, to get other people interested in them,” Gundersen said.
The herd continues to grow with an expected 20 new llamas next year.