Differences between Prey Animals and Predators

with John Mallon

Welcome back, and thanks for tuning in…

“We are meat-eaters… lamas are meat…”

Let’s visit a bit more about the differences between prey animals (llamas, alpacas, guanacos, etc.) and predators (dogs, cats,). We can’t dance around this issue — I hear people sometimes say “I don’t like to think of myself as a predator; “I don’t want to think of this as a predator-prey interaction”. Fine, then, don’t; but realize that that is how the llama or alpaca views it, whether we like it or not, and there is absolutely nothing we can do to change that simple fact. We are meat-eaters (whether individually vegetarian or otherwise), lamas are meat, to put it in its most basic light. This doesn’t mean that we have to approach the llama or alpaca in a predatory fashion, stalking and “attacking”/ it means that we have to try to understand another creature’s point of view, a point of view which is far outside of our experience.

“You probably have never truly felt like a prey animal…”

Unless you’ve ridden a New York City subway or attended a llama or alpaca association’s annual fund-raiser, you probably have never truly felt like a prey animal, subject to attack at any moment, in fear for your life, all senses turned up to “high,” alarm systems “hot.” Forgive me an attempt at humor there, but this is the crux of the matter — llamas and alpacas are different from anything we’ve been around before, and we can never change what they are, only how they respond to outside stimuli in their world, as they see it. Their perception is every bit as valid as mine, and their perception is their reality, simple as that.

Let’s say I show up in, oh, Oregon, for a clinic weekend. The temperature at 8:00 a.m. is 50 F., and I, being from Southern California, am thinking it’s a bit chilly this morning, and an attendee, who happens to be from Montana, feels a bit on the warm side — well, who’s right? Where is the line that separates warm from chilly, hot from cold? If my perception of this morning is that it is chilly, there is no way on earth that you’re going to talk me out of it or convince me otherwise, any more than I’m going to talk the Montana person out of feeling warm. We are both 100% correct in our assessment of the weather. So, rather than fight the facts, let’s try to come to some workable arrangement, say he loans me his sweater…

“Llamas seem to prefer that you never lay a hand on them…”

In our last visit, we talked about the llama’s innate fear of novelty, his highly-developed sense of self-protection, and his unique (to prey animals) vision. Another major difference is in regards to touch — have you ever noticed how much dogs and cats love to be petted and stroked, whereas llamas and alpacas seem to prefer that you never lay a hand on them? “What’s the matter with this animal?”, we wonder. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him; llamas and alpacas do not inherently like to be touched. Call them touch-aversive, if you will. Llama mamas do not lick their babies in the manner of cats and dogs (and wolves and tigers..), so touch is not imprinted as a pleasurable sensation on the cria, and tolerating and accepting touch later on must be learned. Do not expect your llama or alpaca to react to our petting and stroking as your predators do. The only thing that touches llamas and alpacas out in the wild are predators about to kill them. They are especially sensitive about the face and eyes (first line of defenses — spotting trouble), and the legs (escape from trouble). Understand this, accept it, and help the llama or alpaca to overcome his fear of touch so that you may work safely with him in any and all situations.

“The physical llama or alpaca has virtually no offensive weaponry…”

Another aspect of the physical llama or alpaca is that he has virtually no offensive weaponry, no “artillery” to speak of. He hasn’t antlers or hooves or fangs or horns; he has speed, instinct, and a fearful nature to see him through danger. I’m not saying that he lives his life a nervous wreck, but that he is ready at the slightest provocation to run quickly from any perceived threat, and in order for something to be perceived as threatening, it has only to be new. Novelty is threatening to a prey animal, and for him to willingly give up his foot to us, making himself totally vulnerable, takes a tremendous amount of courage and trust.

“Movement toward a prey animal triggers him to move away…”

Movement is the predatory trigger. Movement toward a prey animal triggers him to move away from it, to put distance between himself and whatever is “stalking” or “attacking” him. Don’t take it so personally when a llama or alpaca moves away from you as you approach or reach out to him — it is an automatic response, requiring no thought process on the part of the llama. To stand, though, and let us approach and touch him — takes some thinking about — it goes against his grain; his natural instincts have to be overridden in order for him to be able to stand for it. It is just the opposite with predators; the worst thing you can do if you encounter a mountain lion along the trail is to turn and run away from it — it will almost certainly attack; that is the nature of the predator; movement attracts the animal towards it. Interestingly, movement away from a prey animal will also cause him to follow, once he has established that there is no danger, because of his highly sociable nature (safety in numbers) and herd mentality. Using this irony to our advantage is what makes the round pen work so very effective.

“The llama or alpaca has an innate cooperative nature and is inclined to accept and respect authority unquestioniongly…”

The llama, as a sociable, herd-oriented prey species, has an innate cooperative nature. This inclination to accept and respect authority unquestioningly is what prevents chaos and mayhem within the herd. Call it social order, dominance hierarchy, pecking order or whatever feels best to you, but recognize the fact that it exists, and for good reasons, as stated, and learn to use it to your advantage. There is no such concept as equality in a herd of prey animals — everyone is either above or below their herdmates. Each animal knows and accepts his position, and acts accordingly.

In our next visit, we’ll talk about this hierarchy in a bit more depth, and what it means to be number one.

Until then,

Happy Trails!