Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Alpacas are a relatively new species in Swedish animal husbandry. Alpacas are kept for various reasons such as hobby, companionship, and production. The knowledge about the species is still limited and there are nearly no species-specific regulations regarding the alpaca husbandry in Swe-den. This work aimed to investigate animal welfare deficiencies occurring in alpaca husbandry in Sweden and to investigate which deficiencies that are most common in alpaca husbandry for various purposes. Data was collected by requesting documents with discovered deficiencies from animal welfare controls carried out by the County board of administration. The aim was also to find out how the welfare of the alpacas is affected by these deficiencies, which was done through a literature study. Due to limited data, it is difficult to determine a true conclusion about the most occurred deficiencies in different kinds of alpaca husbandry in Sweden. However, the results suggest that risk of injury in the animals' environment is one of the most common welfare deficiencies. Lack of substrate and wet, uncleaned lying surfaces is also a common deficiency according to this study. These deficiencies may affect the animals in various ways, partly through injuries, but also in the form of parasitic diseases, and thus animal welfare is negatively affected. The result clearly shows the alpacas are negatively affected by insufficient animal husbandry, which highlights the need for species-specific regulations which also requires more research on alpacas and their needs.