Okay that is my weak attempt at an attention grabbing headline... here is a short update on one of my odd ball projects.

You won't recall but I shall remind you, that about this time last year one of our pregnant females simply keeled over and died. The necropsy showed that it was death from heart failure.

What a waste, fortunately she was insured and Wilkins our insurance company paid out on the policy without any delay...we thoroughly recommend them if you want to insure your alpacas.

Then I started thinking what could be done with her dead body? Car seat covers? an alpaca skin rug? I short piece of research made me realise that America has long since given up on tanning leather due to the toxic chemicals that are used. Indeed most leather is tanned in Mexico for a variety of reasons most of which you can work out for yourself.

Then I hit on the idea of using her skeleton as a teaching aide...but how to get at the skeleton?... Our local alpaca vet Dr Leslie Richardson knew of someone who had a beetle farm that was used to strip the meat off trophy skulls and the like.

Well a year has passed and the beetles have completed their grisly task so know the bones are being bleached and prepared for assembly...which will be the really tricky part...as I have never seen an alpaca skeleton before. So it is going to be a kind of giant 3-D puxxle...I think Dr Richardson will be lending a hand thank goodness.

I will keep you posted as she is reincarnated....the alpaca that is not Dr Richardson. who is very much alive and well.