Alpacas are like people: ostracizing those who are 'different'

When one of them gets sheared, all the other alpacas freak out a little because they don't recognize the shorn alpaca. Seriously. They run up to the shorn alpaca and sniff and sniff, OR they skirt around the shorn one, trying to figure out who the heck it is.

I was sad when Simone got shorn my first week here, at the Earth Day demonstration. Sine she was the ONLY one with a new hairdo, all the other lady alpacas shunned her. There were a few mornings where we found Simone sitting in a pen at one end of the enclosure, all alone, while all the other alpacas were up at the other end. This is VERY unusual, since they have such a strong herd bond. It really was quite pathetic, and we were all happy when the other ladies in the group finally accepted her back.

She was just a trendsetter, that's all. Now they all have their summer look, so nobody is ostracized.
The whole thing just reminded me that we (people) are mammals, and social/herd creatures. So much behavior in common....

Simone, sporting the new summer look