The Day A Llama Visited Reed School

By Laurie Borst

On Friday, June 9, Magnum the llama visited Reed Intermediate School. Magnum is the pet of Robby Russo, a fifth grader at Reed. Magnum is 8 years old and has been Robby’s pet for about a year.

The Russo family, parents Chris and Jack, daughters Marissa and Lauren, and Robby, have three llamas, Magnum, Lexi, and Kahlua. The Russo menagerie also includes, chickens, ducks, one dog, and one hamster.

Llamas, a social, herd animal, do not like being alone. They like the company of other llamas as well as people. A llama will walk right up to you and stick its nose in your face to “check you out” the way a dog would sniff your hand.

Robby and his mother, Chris, shared information about llamas with the students. The Incas were the first people to domesticate the llama. Llamas were used as pack animals and for their wool. Like other ancient peoples, the Incas let nothing go to waste. They used the fur, meat, bones, hides, and even the droppings as fertilizer.

Llama fiber is warmer and stronger than sheep’s wool. Another plus to llama fiber is it does not contain lanolin, which sheep produce. Many people are allergic to lanolin and can not wear wool.

Llamas are herbivores that usually eat hay, grass, and grains. They will eat leaves, weeds, and flowers. And they also like tree bark, particularly fruit trees.

The foot structure of llamas is specialized. The llama has two toes on each foot with toenails, not hooves. The bottom of each toe has a sensitive pad. This structure provides better contact with the ground and allows the llama to climb rough, uneven mountain terrain easily. Llamas can walk confidently on a four-inch-wide ledge.

One use that has been found for llamas is as golf caddies. The toe structure does not dig up the course the way horses’ and donkeys’ hooves would.

The Russos maintain that llamas are great pets, and the students at Reed seemed to agree. The students waited patiently in line to feed Magnum a little hay, smiling as he ate from their hands.