My mom had llamas and came home to find an otherwise healthy adult female alive but laying down in the fenced field with the soft tissue of her face chewed off, presumably by a dog or coyote. The llama had to be put down. Has anyone else experienced or heard of a llama being successfully attacked by a dog or coyote?

I have some land a distance away and would like to put some meat goats on it, but I know there are coyotes in the area and I'd really rather not go up to check on the stock and find slaughtered goats strewn about the pasture. So just how effective are llamas, really?

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), October 19, 2001

Answers

Other than a pair or more of guardian dogs, nothing is going to help in a situation like this. Doubt seriously this was a coyote, more than likely neighborhood dogs. On the west coast mountain lion and cougar make goat raising all but impossible. Alot of guardian success comes from easy pickings, alot eaiser to go down the road and eat the neighbors chickens with his Rottwiler tied to one tree and his yappy dogs in the house, than come here with one dog barking growling and 2 donkeys kicking and braying. It just takes alot more than goats and a llama to have an effective guardian relationship amongst them. Same with dogs, pups can't be expected to take on full responsiblity for several years, certainly not against the rots and pitbulls out in our woods. I have said this before but I wish our problems came from wild animals. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 19, 2001.

If you get a llama to guard sheep and goats get a female. Male llamas will try to breed sheep and goats and lay on them and break their backs. I have experienced this and seen it happen. I have not seen a llama protect livestock but a donkey or mule will and they will kick the predators and when they bray it will scare them also.I have Pyrs also and they are good but they would rather stay and protect me than the sheep unless they are unsocialized.But who can resist loving a Pyr pup,I cannot!If you have a large number of sheep or goats in a large area,you are going to have to suffer some losses. Nothing can be at the right time and place all the time.Since I put my mule Sibby out with the herd I have not lost anything that I know off.

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), October 19, 2001.