CORVALLIS — While we may know Montana for bears, elk, cows, and horses, there’s a population of llamas and alpacas here too.
“In the late 90s everybody started moving in. It was a big thing. People were breeding left and right. They wanted the stud quality males and females for breeding. The money was big. And then it started dropping. And people started getting out of the business, giving llamas away,” explained Char Hakes, the founder of Safe Haven Llama and Alpaca Sanctuary in Corvallis
In 2005, Hakes started Safe Haven to rehabilitate abused and neglected llamas and alpacas. At one point, she had almost 90 at the sanctuary.
Recently, they brought in nine llamas from near Livingston who had no where else to go. They were out in the cold and some came to the sanctuary with the tips of their ears frozen off. Now, they have a new lease on life.
“We do rehab with them. Like we’re going to be doing with these," Hakes mentioned while gesturing towards the new herd. She continued, "They will get the best of everything that they need.”
With Char's care they will get lots of hay and pellets, vet visits, specialized treatments for headaches, haircuts, sheers, and getting their nails trimmed. However, they will only be supported, “As long as we have people who are donating and care about them,” stated Hakes.
Being a non-profit, Safe Haven relies on donations to keep their animals healthy. “I’ve noticed that I think people are kind of forgetting about us because we are llamas and alpacas. We’re not horses and dogs and cats. But, we have animals that we need to help. We need your help and appreciate it,” Hakes explained.
One-hundred percent of donations go to care and comfort for the animals. To learn more, click here to visit the website.
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