Storytime: Krisco and Jose
This is a story of a special bond between two rescue llamas in my bachelor herd in Western PA. Jose the llama arrived seven years ago after spending the first six yrs of his life in a 6x6 ft pen with a deer companion. Jose is now 20 & in his last summer. He's always been very careful walking, as the listeriosis (circling disease) that he survived before coming here left him with neurological damage & one really bad knee. He often keeps his nose to the ground to avoid tripping on uneven ground. Needless to say, he moves much slower than the rest of the herd & we have to start early if he needs to move any distance.

In 2004, I began fostering two young llamas, Kokopelli Krisco (photo) and his brother, for SELR. Krisco had a history of running up behind people and of getting in people’s space. I hoped that putting him in with a herd of different aged male llamas would help to teach him some manners.

After about six months, Krisco’s brother was placed into an adoptive home. While Krisco was still adjusting to the herd, not long after his brother’s adoption, I watched an old 'grandpa' teach a young gelding some manners. Due to Jose's health, I kept him in a separate pen at night and let him eat in the barn while I everyone else ate outside. One day, after I herded Jose into the barn, we both noticed Krisco already inside & making a meal of Jose's hay. In a split second a proud, old llama puffed himself up & hopped over to Krisco to teach him a lesson. He actually jumped up on Krisco's hind quarters, not something I thought he would have been physically able to do. Needless to say, Krisco never bothered Jose's hay again. Perhaps this event helped Jose earn Krisco’s respect and started the bond between the two llamas. After his brother’s adoption, Krisco started to exhibit strong guarding behaviors and especially began to watch out for his buddy, old Jose.

One evening last summer, I wasn't able to get Jose in from the far pasture before dusk. (When it gets dark, Jose is afraid to walk, so he settles in for the night.) I normally close the gate between the two pastures so that Jose is contained in the pasture near the barn for the night - especially when rain is forecast. I couldn't do that not only because Jose hadn't made it in, but also because Krisco was kushed in the open gate area so he could keep a close eye on both Jose & the rest of the herd - in both pastures.

Another evening, I had everyone in the near pasture except for Krisco. I walked down to him & did my customary herding, but Krisco would not budge. I walked back up for a halter & even after getting the halter on, Krisco did not want to move! I realized he thought I was separating him from Jose, so as soon as I led him through the gate, I walked him back to Jose & removed his halter. Krisco was happily surprised.

Jose can no longer walk enough to leave his stall in the barn. Just this week I noticed K r i s c o kushed, his side pressed against Jose's stall. Krisco is using his body as a physical barrier to prevent the other boys from stealing Jose's hay. Sadly, this friendship is coming to a natural end, and Krisco will need another llama buddy. He keeps his distance from the other llamas in the herd as Jose is his special friend. Although we'd hoped to place Krisco as a guard, this is no longer an option as he tore some tendons or ligaments in a rear leg and can no longer serve as a 'working llama'.

Krisco will soon be in need of another companion llama to watch over. Living with a bachelor herd for the last couple of years has made a huge difference for Krisco, and he has matured into a good llama who allows haltering and petting. He is available for adoption.