The one sentence version
"The alpacas are not killed for it. They are herded for fibre and for meat, and the fur comes from animals that died of cold, age or disease at four thousand metres."
### Guide ###
Are alpacas killed for their fur? Where our fur comes from
No. Alpacas are not killed for their fur, and there is no fur farming anywhere in our chain. The herds of the Andes are kept for their fibre and for meat, and they have been for centuries. The pelts we work with come from animals that had already died, which at four thousand metres happens to a great many of them.
### Where it comes from ###
Do alpacas die for their fur? The whole answer
A pelt comes from an animal that has died.
The animals died of natural causes on the altiplano: cold, age and disease. In a herd living at 4,000 metres, a hard season takes a share of the animals every year.
Some of them are young. The grade the trade calls Baby Alpaca, which is finer than the fur of a grown animal, is the fur of young animals that died.
No animal is raised or killed for toy production. The herds are not run for us and they would exist in exactly the same numbers if we had never placed an order. We buy what the season gives, and when a season gives less of a colour, we have less of that colour.
This is the same for an order of $500 or $50,000.
### Two materials ###
Shearing or fur: two different trades
Most alpaca fibre is shorn from living animals once a year and spun into yarn. A fur toy is made from a pelt instead.
An alpaca is sheared annually, and it needs to be: a fleece that is never taken off keeps growing, and an animal carrying years of it suffers for it in the heat and is at risk of more besides. Shearing is part of caring for the animal, and the fibre it produces is most of the alpaca trade.
A pelt is the skin with the fibre still attached, and it can only come from an animal that has died. Fur rugs and our stuffed animals are made from pelts, which keeps the fibre lying the way it grew.
So the question whether alpacas are harmed for their fur has two answers. For fibre: no, the animal is sheared and walks away. For fur: the animal was already dead, and the alternative to using the pelt is burning it.
### In writing ###
How the fur reaches the workshop
Through the sort, which is where pelts from many small holdings are graded by colour and by fineness.
That is how a workshop in Lima can offer ten shades of one size at once, when no single holding in the Andes has that many. Experienced sorters grade each pelt, and the grade decides which piece it becomes.
We will tell you what we buy, from whom and on what terms, in writing, for your order. A sourcing statement travels with every shipment, so the same answer arrives on paper with your goods.
### For shops ###
Is alpaca fur cruelty free? What to tell a customer
If they ask about the young ones
The finest grade is the fur of animals that died young. Tell customers that directly.
In writing, with the order
A sourcing statement travels with every order, so these answers arrive on paper with your shipment. Ordering and terms.
Questions about alpaca fur and animal welfare
No. There is no fur farming anywhere in our chain and no animal is raised or killed for toy production. The herds of the Andes are kept for fibre and for meat, and the pelts we work with come from animals that had already died of cold, of age or of disease at four thousand metres.
No. An alpaca is sheared once a year and needs to be: a fleece that is never taken off keeps growing, and an animal carrying years of it suffers in the heat. The animal is sheared and walks away. That fibre is used for knitwear, not for fur toys.
Fleece comes off a living animal at shearing. Fur is the pelt, the skin with the fibre still attached, and it can only come from an animal that has died. A fur rug and a fur toy are pelts; a knitted garment is fleece.
Yes. The finest grade is the fur of young animals that died, which is finer than the fur of a grown animal.
Through the sort, where pelts from many small holdings are graded by colour and by fineness by experienced sorters. That grade is what decides which piece a pelt becomes, and it is how a workshop in Lima can hold ten shades of one size at once. A sourcing statement travels with every order, so what we buy and on what terms is on paper with your shipment.
### Real alpaca fur · from $500 ###
Build the mix. The quotation comes back within 24 hours.