About

The Llama Sanctuary

“Let Care & Compassion be our Legacy”

SINCE 2005

Vegan Philosophy

Lynne & David adopted a vegan lifestyle more than 30 years ago, long before the ‘Plant-based Diet’ became sexy! It was certainly not a profitable exercise to open a vegan and organic restaurant when regular city grocery stores didn’t have a single item labeled ‘organic’ on the shelves and vegans had to travel the quirky little back street shops to find anyone who even knew what that meant, but Lynne and David did that nonetheless, knowing that one day, it would be considered a normal, healthy and meaningful way of life.

That vegan philosophy has transmuted from the overwhelming desire to no longer be a part of the animal cruelty industry to the actual rescue and care of animals in need,

As a foot note to the question of veganism and animal fibre – For the health of the animals, all of the alpacas must be shorn each year and the llamas are either groomed to remove the under-down or shorn every two years. The shearing is respectfully performed by David and Lynne, ensuring sufficient fibre remains to protect the animal from sun and insects. Alpaca and llama fibre products, hand made by Lynne, are sold in the Great Little Llama Shoppe.

How it all began

Discovering Llamas

David and Lynne first met with a llama whilst living in a wild and remote area of northern British Columbia and it was love at first sight!

‘A magnificent looking llama stood on a small hill beside the highway and watched us drive past. Two days later we learned that this llama was on the run and if caught, his outlook was very bleak!’
‘Armed with the understanding that: “if we could catch him, we could keep him’, we set off to catch this wild llama. We found him quickly and sat down to watch from a distance. After a while, TomBurke seemed to understand the deal and said ‘Take me home!’

Even unto his passing in late 2012, he was the most delightful and amiable character. From that first introduction to llamas, the Sanctuary Herd has expanded to between 40 and 60 llamas and alpacas, with hundreds more finding new homes.

Welcome

It’s a long road from a life as clothing designers and restaurant managers in England to creating the largest llama and alpaca rescue and care facility in Canada, but that’s the road travelled by managers of The Llama Sanctuary David Chapman and Lynne Milsom.

Llama History

When llamas first arrived in Canada in the 1980’s, a single llama could sell for $50,000 or more. When the market for high-priced, llamas collapsed, many llamas ended up in unsuitable homes, or were let loose into the forest. Some of these llamas find their way into gardens or farms or onto the highways and The Llama Sanctuary is called in to assist.

Rescuing and caring for a large number of animals requires a lot of funding. Sometimes, when the animals arrive, they are in poor health and need lots of special care and attention. As The Sanctuary has grown, so have the financial demands. Your support is greatly appreciated!