The Llama Sanctuary

  • Home
  • The Llama Sanctuary
Website Contact the organization

The Llama Sanctuary Registered charity 1212324 helping to rehome llamas in need, and working with local community groups to make llamas accessible to everyone 🦙

Larry is a rescue case that we recently brought to the sanctuary. We have never seen a llama with such an overgrown thic...
18/08/2026

Larry is a rescue case that we recently brought to the sanctuary. We have never seen a llama with such an overgrown thick matted fleece. His owner passed away several years ago and he was left to roam 13 acres by himself. The video in this post shows the horrendous condition of his dirty matted coat. We learned of Larry’s plight when we were contacted by a well known national animal welfare organisation, who asked us for advice on llamas. There was concern that Larry was not getting the care that he needed, and there were suggestions of shooting him with a dart gun so that he could be euthanised. We were strongly against culling what appeared to be a healthy animal, and made plans to get Larry out of this dangerous situation and transport him to the sanctuary so that we could gets hands on with him and assess his condition under all that hair.

When Larry arrived at the sanctuary, we gave him what may have been his very first shearing. Given the amount of fleece he was carrying, the process required patience and care, but throughout it all he remained remarkably calm and cooperative. Despite everything he had experienced, he showed us nothing but trust. We shear our llamas with hand shears, unrestrained. Larry just stood and watched. He knew this was good for him. We could see the sadness and gratitude in his eyes and body language. He didn’t even flatten his ears back (a sign that llamas are feeling threatened). As we continued to shear, he became visibly more comfortable and was able to move more freely. It was a powerful reminder of how important routine husbandry is for animals kept in human care. As we shear solely for welfare purposes, the cut does not need to be perfect - we are happy with a more variable bitty coat finish if it means the animal gets less stressed during the process. Larry may not win any fashion contests any time soon, but he will most definitely be a lot cooler and comfortable!

Animal welfare is about more than simply providing food and shelter. It means understanding the specific needs of each species and ensuring those needs are met throughout their lives. For llamas, regular health checks, appropriate nutrition, companionship, and fleece management are all essential parts of responsible ownership. Today, lovely Larry is settling into sanctuary life beautifully. He seems to enjoy human contact and has quickly become a favourite among volunteers. Most importantly, he is safe, comfortable, and receiving the care he deserves. We are delighted to give this gentle, kind-natured llama the future he deserves and look forward to watching him thrive in the years ahead. We feel privileged to be part of his journey.

Like sheep and other fleece animals, llamas have been selectively bred for generations to produce a thick coat. This needs to be regularly managed to ensure that the animal remains comfortable and healthy. Without regular shearing, llama fibre (fleece) can become excessively heavy, dirty, and matted; causing discomfort and increasing the risk of heatstroke and other health problems. People sometimes ask - 'but what about wild llamas? They don't need shearing!'. The simple answer to this is: there are no wild llamas. Llamas are related to guanacos. Guanacos do not need shearing as they are a wild animal that has not been tampered with by humans. Llamas on the other hand have been bred for their fleece and over hundreds of generations this coat has become thicker and as this is a construct of human involvement, it needs involvement of humans to manage. Sometimes photos of llamas in South America appear to show llamas roaming wild, but this is a similar scenario to seeing sheep roaming on moors or common ground in the UK - at some point they will be rounded up to be sheared.

Here are two ladies we recently rehomed - Pandora and Zara, both nineteen. When we are approached to rehome a llama, we ...
11/08/2026

Here are two ladies we recently rehomed - Pandora and Zara, both nineteen. When we are approached to rehome a llama, we always try to find them an experienced home within our extensive llama owner network. If unsuccessful, The Llama Sanctuary serves as a final port of call, which is what happened in this instance. Pandora and Zara’s rehoming situation was becoming more and more urgent and as a last resort we have given them a forever home here at the charity.

Both llamas have settled nicely in to their new surroundings. Compared to some of the other delinquents that we have living here at the sanctuary, Pandora and Zara are a delight to have around. They have understandably taken time to get used to us, and we have given them plenty of space - allowing them to settle in at their own pace. We have since given them a partial shear to cut out the mats and take off some of the weight from their coats, whilst ensuring enough remains to not shock them and keep them safe over winter. They won’t win any fashion contents but at least they will be safe and healthy! Both girls were sheared unrestrained in a pen - both stood / sat calmly and seemed grateful for a bit of pampering.

Like sheep and other fleece animals, llamas have been selectively bred for generations to produce a thick coat. This needs to be regularly managed to ensure that the animal remains comfortable and healthy. Without regular shearing, llama fibre (fleece) can become excessively heavy, dirty, and matted; causing discomfort and increasing the risk of heatstroke and other health problems.

People sometimes ask - 'but what about wild llamas? They don't need shearing!'. The simple answer to this is: there are no wild llamas. Llamas are related to guanaco. Guanaco do not need shearing as they are a wild animal that has not been tampered with by humans. Llamas on the other hand have been bred for their fleece and over hundreds of generations this coat has become thicker and as this is a construct of human involvement, it needs involvement of humans to manage. Sometimes photos of llamas in South America appear to show llamas roaming wild, but this is a similar scenario to seeing sheep roaming on moors or common ground in the UK - at some point they will be rounded up to be sheared.

Last year, on 27th February 2025, The Llama Sanctuary became a registered UK charity.Today, on 27th February 2026, The L...
27/02/2026

Last year, on 27th February 2025, The Llama Sanctuary became a registered UK charity.

Today, on 27th February 2026, The Llama Sanctuary completed a purchase of 30 acres of land.

It has been a long road for the sanctuary, but we now finally have a place to call home and grow from.

The rest of 2026 will very much be about establishing our foundations and building something sustainable and future proof. We have lofty aspirations, and will soon be in the market for more stable space, livestock transport, trailers, trucks, better fencing, gates…the list goes on. The ever present day to day costs of hay and vet bills always loom large.

The charity is indebted to many people who have worked hard to get us to this point: our trustees Matt Yorke, Naomi Lewis, and Marion Dubois. Our sanctuary manager, Aleks Mykhailova. We are eternally grateful for the unbelievable support and contributions from Peter Bourne, Bruce Alexander, Ceri Alexander, The British Llama Society, and British Camelids. Our deepest thanks and gratitude to Robina Chatham for championing our cause and fighting passionately for this outcome. Likewise to Liz Butler, Tim Crowfoot, Graham Reed, Graham Duncanson and Bob Broadbent - true camelid lovers each and every one. And thanks to Jonathan Lawrence, who innocently kickstarted this whole process about two years ago when he made a casual enquiry to the sanctuary about rehoming 30 llamas...that conversation quickly snowballed and took on a life and adventure of its own - it has been quite the journey!

We are forever indebted to each and every one of the above people - this could not have happened without you and you will always be welcome at the sanctuary.

This is just the beginning, and we look forward to sharing our progress and further exciting news as the year develops.

Lovely visit to The Llama Sanctuary by Pembrokeshire Young Onset Dementia group recently. Trustee Matt gave a talk and l...
22/08/2025

Lovely visit to The Llama Sanctuary by Pembrokeshire Young Onset Dementia group recently. Trustee Matt gave a talk and llama Q&A session, followed by some llama brushing and stroking, and followed up with some photos and llama selfies! A great knowledge sharing session where we were able to pass on our passion for llamas, whilst also learning so much about this brilliant charity and the inspirational work they do. Thank you so much for visiting!

Did you know that every month we offer free llama visits for local community groups, non-profits, and other charities? If you are part of such a group and would like to arrange a visit, email us via [email protected] to find out more 🦙🦙🦙

Our llama sanctuary charity hosted a visit for our local Beaver group the other week. The children learned all about lla...
27/07/2025

Our llama sanctuary charity hosted a visit for our local Beaver group the other week. The children learned all about llamas - where they come from, what they are used for, and what they eat. The llamas got stroked, brushed, and taken for a walk! We are told that the llamas have been a popular topic when the children have been drawing in subsequent Beaver sessions 🦙

Did you know that every month we offer free llama visits for local community groups, non-profits, and other charities? If you are part of such a group and would like to arrange a visit, email us via [email protected] to find out more 🦙🦫 🦫 🦫

This is Jojo Llama. He’s been with us at the sanctuary for a few years now. He was never supposed to be here. He just go...
14/07/2025

This is Jojo Llama. He’s been with us at the sanctuary for a few years now. He was never supposed to be here. He just got dropped off unannounced with some other llamas that we were rehoming. We had absolutely no idea he was coming! He was under a year old when he arrived, and very scrawny. We have worked hard to get some weight on him and he has grown into a healthy handsome young man.

Jojo is a right troublemaker and often causes mischief with the older llamas, starting squabbles amongst his peers and then legging it before he can be accused of any wrong doing!

As of February 2025 we became a registered charity. Our mission: to help rehome any llama in need across the UK.It is a ...
19/05/2025

As of February 2025 we became a registered charity. Our mission: to help rehome any llama in need across the UK.

It is a lofty ambition, but a worthy one. Every year we see more and more llamas in need of a new home. We are busier than ever taking llama rehoming enquiries. We currently have a waiting list of nearly 70 llamas whose owners have been in contact about rehoming their llamas to us in the future.

A recent AHWBE report (Animal Health and Welfare Board for England) noted a rise in the number of llamas needing new homes due to ‘owners not being able to care for their animals because of the owners advancing age’. The cost of living crisis means less people are financially in a position to keep llamas. And as farming in general comes under pressure from all sides in the UK, keeping exotic livestock becomes less feasible and / or desirable. And of course the price of property and land in the UK climbs steadily ever upwards, pricing many potential llama keepers out of the market.

Our first goal is to obtain an independent site for The Llama Sanctuary to operate from. At present, our rehomed llamas are kept on our trustees’ land, but this is unsustainable and too small for our long term aims. We are currently looking at a range of investment activities with which to raise the required funds. It is not something we will be able to do alone. If you would like to be involved, or to help with a donation, please get in touch.

We will be steadily updating our charity website www.llamasanctuary.org over the next few weeks and months. There are lots of exciting initiatives underway, and we can’t wait to announce them all asap.

Why do llamas need rehoming? This is a common question that we are often asked. There is no straight forward answer, and there are many reasons why a llama may need rehoming. Some of the common scenarios that we encounter are listed below:

* The existing owner has passed away.
* The existing owner has health problems and can no longer care for their animals.
* The existing owner has financial problems and can no longer care for their animals.
* The existing owner is moving and cannot take their llamas with them to their new home.
* The llama has been left by itself after its companion llamas have passed away and now it is the only remaining llama left. The owners do not wish to have any more llamas and therefore need to find the llama a new home (llamas have a strong herd mentality and must be kept in groups or they will suffer psychologically).
* A welfare issue, where the llama / llamas must be removed from its current environment due to neglect or poor husbandry to negate any negative health implications (or continued health implications).

Photo: 3 of our rehomed llamas: L-R Bojack, Jojo Llama, and Untitled Llama #1 (we’ll be running a naming competition for him soon - read about his sad history on our website www.llamasanctuary.org )

Last year our director Matthew Yorke was awarded the Benavides Trophy, in recognition of all the work he has done for th...
10/02/2025

Last year our director Matthew Yorke was awarded the Benavides Trophy, in recognition of all the work he has done for the benefit and welfare of llamas in the UK.

The Benavides Trophy is the most prestigious award in the UK camelid industry (llamas, alpacas, guanacos, vicuña, camels). Each year the charity British Camelids awards the trophy to the person who has contributed the most to the benefit and knowledge of the whole of the UK camelid community, and was presented to Matt as a result of the work he has done over the past six years rehoming hundreds of llamas and guanacos from across the UK, sometimes in very challenging conditions.

The trophy is in memory of Dr Felipe Benavides, who played a major role in saving the beautiful vicuña from extinction (the undomesticated South American ancestor of the alpaca).

Additionally, Matt was invited to become a Trustee of British Camelids, which he accepted.

The sanctuary is the outcome of several difficult rehoming cases in recent years, where healthy animals were due to be slaughtered if they could not be found new homes. From a moral perspective, this was completely unacceptable, and consequently the sanctuary has now stepped in on numerous occasions to ensure that this outcome never occurs.

Follow our page to keep up to date with lots of exciting developments due to be announced this year! 🦙🦙🦙

Address

Glanrhydwilym

SA667QH

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Llama Sanctuary posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to The Llama Sanctuary:

Shortcuts

  • Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization?

Share