Alpaca called Giovanni given mirror for company after friends die

If you saw an alpaca looking at its own reflection, you’d be forgiven for thinking the animal was unusually vain.

But in this case, the alpaca isn’t self-obsessed; it’s lonely.

Giovanni, an elderly 18-year-old male, has been gifted the mirror after his two companions died.

Screech Owl Sanctuary & Animal Park in Cornwall put out an appeal for members of the public to donate the items.

In a post on Facebook, the sanctuary said: ‘Since losing his best friend last week, Giovanni is in need of a special treat.

‘While it is too cold for his paddling pool, we are asking if any of you are able to donate a mirror for him.

‘A tall full length mirror or a smaller mirror that is able to hang would be ideal.

‘Mirrors are a really good form of enrichment for alpacas as they provide a sense of companionship.’

Since the call for help, the animal park has been flooded with mirrors, with one now attached to the fence on his pen.

This has already cheered him up after the death of his companion Eddy earlier this month.

Gary Zammit, operations director at the park, told BBC: ‘He seems quite happy seeing his reflection.

‘He’s been pretty good but it’s even better when he’s got that there so he can see another alpaca as far as he, hopefully, thinks in the paddock with him.’

Giovanni won’t be alone for long, however, after a regular visitor to the park pledged to donate two female alpacas to keep him company.

Zammit said: ‘We’ve just got to do some planning, because obviously you can’t just take animals from anywhere and add them to a collection of this size.

‘We would hopefully be looking at picking them up as soon as possible, and then hopefully quarantine, once all the tests are done, [it] won’t take long at all.’

Alpacas are members of the camel family, which typically live for 20 years in captivity.

There are about 4million alpacas in the world, with 96 per cent of them found in Peru and Bolivia.

They are extremely social animals that live in family herds and can become lonely and stressed if alone.

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