Wounds in Llamas During Capture and Chemical Immobilization

Regardless of the method used, there are numerous risks associated with the capture and/or chemical immobilization of wildlife. These risks include complications such as capture myopathy, aspiration, dehydration, hypothermia, hyperthermia, respiratory depression and/or arrest and cardiac arrest. When employing chemical immobilization as opposed to traps or snares, these complications can come about as the direct result of the immobilizing drugs, either due to inadvertent overdose, comorbidities or underlying sensitivities in individual animals.

A complication that is often considered less serious than others, but which must be seriously considered, is that of wounds incurred during capture events. These can occur as a result of an animal attempting to flee prior to immobilization, as it loses physical coordination during take-down after darting or (rarely) from the darts themselves.¹

One of the most common threats to wild animals is that of physical injury. Animals may incur severe injuries that kill them directly, or injuries can affect them in ways that are indirectly fatal. Discounting human-related causes, these can come about as the result of a variety of events, such as evading predators, fighting for mates or territory and accidents. Even when an animal doesn’t die as a direct or indirect result of an injury, it can be left in a permanently compromised state or with chronic pain.²

Llamas: History and Background

The llama (Llama glama) is a New World or South American camelid (family Camelidae). This group of animals is also referenced as lamoids. This particular group includes llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos. While llamas and alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years, undomesticated guanacos and vicunas still roam in herds in the mountains of Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. Like the camels of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, lamoids are believed to have originated in North America over 40 million years ago. Lamoids subsequently migrated to South America and camels migrated west via the Bering Strait, later becoming extinct in North America.³

Today, the majority of llamas live in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. In recent decades, South American exporters have been marketing llamas to farmers and breeders around the world, primarily North America, Australia, and Europe. As a result, llamas have become very popular among farmers, breeders, and exotic pet enthusiasts.⁴

Llamas are pseudo-ruminants; this means that they have a single stomach divided into three compartments instead of four, like other ruminants (e.g., cattle). In the field, llamas graze on grasses and plants. On farms, llamas will eat grass or hay. They consume approximately two pounds per 125 pounds of body weight daily in hay or fresh pasture. ⁵ Llamas also have a very long large intestine which allows them to go for long periods without water.⁴

South American camelids vary by size and purpose, with some being used as pack animals and others being valued for their fleece.³ Being the largest of the New World camelids, the llama is primarily employed as a pack animal, but it is also used for its fleece, leather and meat. Adult llamas range in height from 5-1/2 feet to 6 feet tall and weigh between 290 to 440 pounds.^3,4 They have short tails and large, tapering ears. Their feet are narrow and padded on the bottom, allowing these animals to comfortably navigate the rough Andean terrain.³

Llamas are social animals that are accustomed to living in herds. Female llamas are called “dams” or “hembras,” while males are called “studs” or “machos.” Castrated males are called “geldings.” Llama offspring are called “crias,” as are alpaca offspring. Breeding in the late summer and fall, the llama’s gestation period is approximately 11 months, after which the female gives birth to one young.⁴ Female llamas will give birth with the other females in the herd present to protect the cria from predators. Crias are able to walk and suckle within the first hour of life.^3-5 Llamas have an average lifespan of 20 years.

Llamas communicate through a variety of humming noises, and it is said that they can distinguish between different vocalizations. When they recognize danger, llamas will let out a shrill moan to alert members of the herd. In South America, llamas are sometimes used as livestock guards for flocks of sheep, with geldings typically being trained for these missions.⁴

Despite the llama’s pleasant demeanor, the literature recommends that llama owners and farmers refrain from oversocializing these animals, since it can lead to something called “berserk llama syndrome” in male llamas. This has been described as a condition that affects the males when they become too comfortable with humans, see them as fellow herd members and try to dominate them.⁴

Treatment of Wounds in Llamas

Most injuries in llamas that are connected with capture events are experienced when animals are attempting to flee human pursuers,¹ and the most common injuries suffered are lacerations. The risk for wounds in captured llamas is far lower than in wild hoofstock due to the llama’s level of domestication, but it can still occur. While remote drug delivery via darts is unlikely to result in a serious injury, darting can on occasion result in minor lacerations. Finally, in some cases a llama may need to be immobilized specifically for the treatment of a serious wound it has suffered due to other causes.

Cleaning the wound should be the first order of business. In the case of small, shallow lacerations, this can be done by flushing with a commercial povidone-iodine or other scrub solution. Flushing with povidone-iodine diluted with saline can be used for deeper wounds; these should not be sutured to allow for drainage.¹ The literature recommends high volume and, ideally, high-pressure irrigation unless the tissue is very delicate. The suggested lavage volume is 50 to 100 mL of fluid per centimeter of wound.

Low-pressure irrigation is gentle to tissues and does not force bacteria deeper into the wound; it also does not debride as well as high-pressure irrigation, which can be performed with a pressurized fluid bag or a large syringe with an 18-gauge catheter.⁶ The veterinarian should perform suturing procedures for superficial wounds that have been cleaned. If a veterinarian is not immediately available, non-absorbable sutures may be used.

Any llama suffering a laceration prior to or during an anesthetic event should always receive systemic antibiotics to reduce the likelihood of infection. Procaine penicillin G combined with benzathine penicillin G is a common formulation is these instances. Long-acting oxytetracycine is also frequently used to treat hoofstock that have suffered lacerations.⁶

Given the inherent risks associated with chemical immobilization, there is no way to guarantee that injuries in llamas will not occur. That said, the drug formulations currently available for immobilizing llamas and other wildlife have been refined to a degree that eliminates much of the risk that existed years ago. With the right drug formulations, proper planning and safety precautions in place, experienced personnel can have the expectation of effective and incident-free chemical immobilization of llamas in the majority of cases.