Help Save This Priceless Sanctuary
For All of Us
For many years, The Llama Sanctuary has provided a place of safety, compassion and lifelong care for llamas and alpacas who have been neglected, abandoned, injured or simply had nowhere else to go.
For many of these animals, the Sanctuary has become their forever home.
Now, the Sanctuary itself needs a new home …again.
This time it needs to be Permanent!
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About The Llama Sanctuary Society
Rescue & Rehabilitation
Providing refuge for llamas and alpacas facing neglect, abandonment, injury or uncertain futures. Every rescue begins with compassion, followed by the patient work of restoring health, rebuilding trust and giving vulnerable animals a second chance.
Education & Advocacy
Through guided visits, school programmes and public outreach, TLSS promotes understanding of camelid behaviour, welfare and responsible animal care. Education extends compassion beyond the Sanctuary gates, encouraging more humane relationships between people and animals.
Lifelong Care & Welfare
The Sanctuary provides a permanent haven where animals receive individualized care throughout their lives. From orphaned youngsters to elderly and disabled camelids, every animal is valued, regardless of age, ability or ongoing care requirements.
Community Connection & Wellbeing
More than a refuge, the Sanctuary is a place where people of different ages and abilities can connect with animals, nature and one another. Through volunteering, accessible visits and shared experiences, TLSS enriches community life and inspires kindness, empathy and belonging.
This is more than another animal sanctuary
‘Sanctuary’ – a sacred place; land set aside for wild plants or animals to breed and live
At The Llama Sanctuary, space is not simply somewhere for animals to live. It is an essential part of their welfare, rehabilitation and quality of life.
It is a place where vulnerable animals find safety, where compassion replaces neglect and where people of all ages and abilities are welcomed to learn, discover and connect. Through education and gentle encounters with the resident animals, The Sanctuary encourages understanding, empathy and respect for the creatures with whom we share this world. For some visitors, particularly those facing challenges of their own, these encounters offer something even more precious — a sense of belonging, a moment of peace and the opportunity to rediscover a connection with the natural world that is so easily lost in modern life.
The Llama Sanctuary Society has become something worth preserving.
More Ways to Donate
Become a Sanctuary Volunteer
Featured Stories
Eddie's Story
The Suri coat is ultra-fine and silky. It is heavier than normal alpaca fibre and becomes felted if not cared for. Eddie received food, but never received the care he desperately needed. The answer to your question ‘well how do they manage in the wild?’ is that they don’t! There are no wild alpacas. Arguably, they are man’s creation from long ago, bred for their exquisite coat. For more than a decade Eddie received no care, so his legs, his tail and his body were contained in one very thick, very heavy, stinking, infested felt. Without the ability to move properly, he lost all muscle mass and his joints seized with arthritis. His skin was thickened and oozing. He was depressed. Eddie learned to love again at The Llama Sanctuary and his story of survival and revival is a joy to tell.
Lenny's Story
Someone sliced his ears off, yet he was always proud and gentle. He too had lived a life of neglect and abuse. The fear that burns in some men’s hearts finds voice by hurting others. When those ones find no salve for that fear they exorcise it by inflicting cruelty. At The Llama Sanctuary, we try to remain silent about that cruelty and instead, find the best way we can to inflict love and compassion upon the abused. We have worked for decades to provide a safe space for just the few camelids who make it to sanctuary. And we invite you to visit and join in that work, even if it is just for a few moments offering a gentle hand and a few treats.
TomBurke's Story
The llama that started it all more than 20 years ago. Neglected, abused and feared by many. At one time he was trained to pull a chariot, but a series of neglectful homes left him wandering alone in Northern BC. His fate was a bullet, yet we got to him first. A halter, stiffened from years of exposure to the weather, had cut into his jawbone, resulting in deep infection and yet he allowed novices to catch him, treat him and love him. He was absolutely a gentleman, a teacher, a mentor and a friend. He was intelligent, thoughtful, playful and caring. He trusted us to care for him. And ultimately, he gave his life so that we might better understand llamas and provide the kind of care we all deserve.
Make a Difference
to make a better world, we have to do something different
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Inside The Sanctuary
The Llama Sanctuary Society is far more than a fenced pasture and a barn. It is a carefully developed animal care facility, shaped over years to meet the physical, social and emotional needs of llamas and alpacas in the Society’s care. Each area of the Sanctuary serves a distinct purpose, providing the right environment for animals to heal, settle, socialize or simply live in peace.
The Refirmary & ICU
Where compassion becomes extraordinary care.
The Refirmary and ICU feature eight flexible, isolation stalls, a kitchen and feed store, a surgery table, red light blanket, overhead winches and much more. It’s a place of healing, patience and second chances. Here, elderly residents, orphaned youngsters and animals with complex medical needs receive the specialized attention they need to live with dignity and comfort.
The Arena Tribe
A place to learn trust and simply be a llama
The Arena is the Sanctuary’s largest community space, currently providing around ten acres for llamas and alpacas to move, graze, socialize and relax. It is also a place of quiet transformation. Here, timid or wary animals can spend months — sometimes years — learning that human contact can be safe. Trust is never forced. It grows at its own pace, until one day an animal who has stood on the sidelines finally chooses to step forward and take a treat from the hand. The Arena provides the space and stability that make such moments possible.
The Southside Inn
A herd designed around natural male behaviour
Southside is home to the more rambunctious boys — animals whose energy, confidence and social dynamics require their own space. In the wild, young males leave the family group and form bachelor herds, where strength, rank and confidence are tested. The Sanctuary respects those instincts and, wherever possible, provides an environment that reflects natural behaviour while maintaining safety and stability. Even after castration, some males retain strong territorial or dominant tendencies, particularly if they have previously lived as breeding males. Southside allows these personalities to live in an appropriate social setting without placing others at risk.
The Loners Club
For the disruptors, the outsiders and the highly sensitive
Not every llama can thrive in a large herd. The Loners Club consists of several smaller paddocks, each about a quarter of an acre, allowing animals to be separated when social pressures become too great. Some residents live here because they are so disruptive or reactive that herd life quickly descends into chaos. Others are extremely timid and need the security of a quieter environment, particularly if fear prevents them from seeking shelter with others in bad weather. These paddocks provide flexibility, safety and the chance to tailor living arrangements to each individual animal’s needs.
Newbies
A gentle introduction to sanctuary life
For newly arrived animals, the Sanctuary can feel like an entirely new world. The Newbies area gives them a chance to settle gradually, away from the pressures of a larger established herd. Here they can decompress, be observed carefully, and begin to adjust to new routines, new neighbours and a new way of life. Some arrive frightened, confused or unwell; others have simply never known calm, consistent care. The Newbies area helps make that transition as gentle as possible. Newbies provides staff with the chance to observe and decide which Tribe would provide the best environment for the newcomers to feel safe.
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A New Home
A Lasting Legacy
The Llama Sanctuary Society needs a secure, permanent home where decades of experience, specialized animal care and community service can continue without the uncertainty of relocation. Finding that home is not simply a matter of acquiring pasture. It means establishing an environment where animals can thrive, people can learn, and the Sanctuary’s charitable mission can endure for generations.
Call Us – 250 948 3675
The Sanctuary at a Glance
60+ Llamas & alpacas receiving lifelong care in The Llama Sanctuary
20+ Years of animal rescue and welfare experience
5 Number of distinct Llama Tribes at The Llama Sanctuary
1500+ Number of visitors participating in Guided Tours each year
66,000 Pounds of hay consumed by the llamas & alpacas each year
WE NEED MORE THAN LAND
we need a permanent foundation
A suitable property will require at least 40 acres, with sufficient usable land to accommodate separate herds, rehabilitation and intensive care facilities, quarantine areas, shelters and essential infrastructure. The layout must support the Society’s strict biosecurity protocols, including controlled access, separation of vulnerable or newly arrived animals and safe movement throughout the property. Reliable water and electricity are essential to the daily operation of this specialized animal care facility.
why do we have to leave?
Our landlord has informed us that our lease will not be renewed, as the land is required for other purposes.
While we respect the landlord’s decision and are grateful for the time we have been able to operate here, this is extremely disappointing news, since it was less than 4 years ago that we moved to this location.
The Society must secure a suitable new property before the current lease expires, allowing sufficient time to develop the necessary infrastructure and move the animals safely. The lease expires April 2028, but we need to be preparing the new home long before that time.
It’s disappointing, because we have spent years building something that matters; something that matters to the Shuswap, to British Columbia and to Canada.
Permanence – Space – Accessibility
The new Sanctuary must also remain accessible to the community it serves. Safe year-round road access, including for school buses and other visitors, is vital to its educational programmes. Suitable terrain is equally important, allowing wheelchair-friendly visitor areas and safe accommodation for elderly, disabled and mobility-challenged animals. Above all, the land must be secured permanently for the Society’s charitable purposes, protecting both the animals in its care and the community benefits it provides.
The Llama Sanctuary Society
is a Registered Canadian Charity #786315069
Official receipts are available for all tax-deductible donations
Could You Help Secure the Sanctuary's Future?
Somewhere in the Shuswap, there is a property that could become the permanent home of The Llama Sanctuary Society. Perhaps you own suitable land, know someone who does, or represent an organization with the resources to help establish a lasting charitable legacy.
TLSS welcomes conversations with individuals, landowners, businesses, foundations and community organizations interested in helping secure a permanent, independent home for the Sanctuary. A donation of land, benefactor-funded acquisition or an appropriately structured charitable trust could transform the future of this extraordinary facility.
The opportunity is not simply to provide land for rescued animals. It is to preserve a place of compassion, education and community connection for generations to come.
PLEASE SHARE THIS
Someone You Know Could Hold the Key
Finding a permanent home for The Llama Sanctuary Society will take more than goodwill. It will take connections, conversations and a community working together.
You may not own 40 acres or have the resources to establish a charitable legacy, but perhaps you know someone who does.
Please share this appeal. One conversation, one introduction or one act of generosity could change the future of the Sanctuary forever.
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Stay in Touch
Sign up to receive The Llama Sanctuary Newsletter. It’s more like a magazine really. We’ll keep you informed about the search, the move and how the llamas are taking the news! It’s also an entertaining read with lots of interesting stuff about llamas and alpacas, all the latest news, stories from The Sanctuary and special events.
Open Year Round
Visit
The Llama Sanctuary is open to visitors almost every day of the year. **PLEASE BOOK AHEAD** Due to the nature of this facility, we offer guided tours, providing you with the opportunity to meet and interact with the 60 or more residents. Suitable for all ages and abilities. This is not somewhere you just call in and wander around. More Details
Sponsor
One of the easiest ways to make a difference is to sponsor a llama! Choose your friend, learn their story, receive updates and very special birthday messages More Details
Shop
The Llama Sanctuary Gift Shop offers some unique gifts, many of which are created right here in the heart of The Sanctuary More Details
We got the joy of visiting the Llama sanctuary yesterday and it was an absolute delight. The love, care and dedication that goes into these little babies is truly amazing. We learnt so much through our guided tour. We had the joy of having a breakthrough moment with Eadie, she took a treat from my husband , she had never taken anything from a stranger before. If you are in the Salmon arm area I would highly recommend stopping by and spending time with these lovely creatures. You may just find a new love 
Thank you !!
Our Partners & Sponsors
- Home Hardware
- Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
- Nag Bags
- Grindrod Feedstore
- SPCAI
- The NFT Agency
- Laid Back Llamas
- Alpaca Finance
- Reliable Septic
- SASCU
- Abundance Canada
- Save-on Foods
- Benevity
- Kaltire
- Country Tractor
- Salmon Arm Home Building centre
- Peaveymart
- Lions Club
- Vancouver Foundation
- Zeffy
- Friends
- Family
- Loved Ones
- All the Beautiful Anonymous
Give Today
The Llama Sanctuary Society
is a Registered Canadian Charity #786315069
Official receipts are available for all tax-deductible donations
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