alpaca update

Sad news to report on Torino, the missing alpaca I wrote about earlier this month. The remains of Torino and another alpaca were found in the forest last Friday. But it gets worse folks. And it ain't pretty.

Later that night and/or early Saturday morning a mountain lion (cougar) got into the barn and went on a rampage killing four more alpacas. Maryanne's husband Frank-John discovered the grisly scene, and it was so horrible he refused to let her see it.

It was quite a long weekend for the Campo family.

The authorities were called to the scene, and they set an alarm. Early Sunday morning the cougar came back to get the last alpaca. He was unable to get into the barn, but he tripped the alarm. The tracker and his hounds chased the cougar up into a tree where he was later shot.

But here's the irony of the story. Even though this cougar killed her beloved alpaca's, Maryanne felt sorry for the cougar and a tinge of guilt that the cougar was killed. Maryanne later learned that the cougar had been pushed out of his environment in the forest due to logging. Seems the logging created meadows, which attracted deer, which attracted the cougar, which led him to the neighborhood, which led him to the alpaca's.

The silver lining is that one alpaca survived the nightmare and is doing well. Although Maryanne says she is looking for an "alpaca whisperer"--so if you know one, let me know.