None the worse for the wear, the Suri alpaca returns to its pen. Admiring the freshly shaved alpaca's new "do," his penmates catch a glimpse of their future. Fashionable alpacas will be sporting "mop-tops" this summer. To contact Utopia Alpacas, call 306-548-8884 or visit Alpacas@Utopiaalpacas.com.
The shearing of the alpaca herd at Utopia Alpacas, owned by Martin and Kim Shelman of Camano Island, is an annual event, usually done at the onset of summer, to harvest the fine alpaca wool.
Tyco (left), a Huacaya alpaca, awaits shearing in an outdoor pen.
Shearing involves removing and sorting the fiber of the alpaca wool while it is still being trimmed. A certified sorter will separate the fiber by color, length and grade. The fiber will then be sent to a co-op, and products made will bear a Certified Sorted label, which is a textile standard.
