Meet the Irish farmer using alpacas for animal therapy for the elderly

Meet the Irish farmer using alpacas for animal therapy for the elderly

With their ‘huge brown eyes’, camelid therapy animals ease anxiety among nursing home residents and those with special needs, farmer says.

How beautiful alpacas smile

An Irish farmer who changed his office job for agriculture ten years ago is currently doing alpaca therapy in nursing homes and schools, with children and other people with special needs. “They feel them. They look at their big, enormous brown eyes, which are so relaxing, and you can hear them humming. We work with local schools, with their special needs classes, and the teachers tell us that the impact on children is really positive,” Joe Phela…

Some go to dog training, others go to rabbit jumping. And then there are those who go to alpaca shows. Right now, alpaca owners from all over the country are gathered in Middelfart, where there is room for competitions and fellowship. The Danish Lama and Alpaca Association is responsible for the annual meeting, and Marianne Walsøe, who owns the mare Olivia and is part of the association's show committee, appreciates that. - Then you see which of…