“The animals still need to be fed, and we still have vet bills,” Johnson said. It has been a crucial source of revenue for the business, which normally relies on selling wool on the farm and at fairs, and offering alpaca experiences. The farm offers bronze, silver and gold Zoom packages, which include options to adopt one of the 39 alpacas and add gift vouchers, greeting cards and even a lock of fleece along with the call. But they are all very friendly, and they all have their own personalities.”ĭuring each Zoom party, she introduces a number of the alpacas, talks about their personalities, and reels off interesting facts, covering everything from their mating habits to the consistency of their fleece. “In the boys’ field, you’ll be talking about one alpaca and another alpaca will come up and photobomb. “The boys are on the whole more confident than the girls,” said Johnson, who runs Bowbridge Alpacas with her husband, son and daughter. Stubborn Reginald reluctantly glances at the screen with a scowl, apparently dismissive of the whole enterprise.īowbridge Alpacas plans to keep offering the Zoom service when lockdown ends. Best friends Joseph and Owen are having an argument before playing up for the camera. New mother Emily bleats calming tones at two-day-old Ethan. The call is just like any chaotic family video call. In the US, Sweet Farm in California has animals including llamas available for video meetings, while in Fife, Scotland, Alison Johnson has started offering alpaca parties over Zoom to boost the farm’s income during lockdown. “There was a group of women this morning who were all crying because they just love the baby goats,” McCarthy said. The goats are all in pens as it is kidding season, making them convenient for filming, but also giving people the added bonus of seeing the newborns. At the moment people just want something completely surreal so they can forget about everything else.” “It’s so ridiculous, it’s complete escapism. “I’m on the phone all day and people are just in hysterics because they’ve sneaked a goat into the business meeting and the boss hasn’t noticed,” said McCarthy. They now have capacity to do up to 100 Zoom calls a day, charging £5 for a 10-minute appearance. “We started it as a bit of a joke really, and then we got inundated with messages,” said farmer Dot McCarthy. Mary is popular at church services on Sundays.
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