I have re wrote this post several times, there are no words to express the sadness that we are feeling.

Stardust visited the Royal Vet College earlier this year and stayed there for four weeks. When the call came to say he was suffering we had to make the right decision to say goodbye. This was heartbreaking, emotionally draining and placed a financial burden on us, with the vet bill nearing £15,000. The postmortem indicated TB, and further tests confirmed it. As a result, the entire farm, llamas, pigs, and cows was subject to mandatory TB testing by the Animal Plant and Health Agency.

The pigs are all clear, the cows need to be retested, and after further blood tests, seven llamas tested positive.

On April 8th, Lisa’s birthday, we said goodbye to our cherished Merlin, Querrida, and The Pocket Rocket. On April 9th, we lost Rossi, Troy, Dylan, and our beloved Baloo, following the earlier loss of Stardust. Losing seven animals in two days was devastating and hard to imagine for anyone who has experienced losing a beloved pet.

We are unable to conduct llama walks until we successfully complete two additional rounds of clear testing, which may take us to the end of 2026.

We have not received financial support from governing bodies, yet we still need to feed our animals, pay vet bills, cover our own bills, and provide food for ourselves. The APHA sets a standard payment for animals culled due to TB, but this amount does not even clear the Vet fees resulting from Stardust's illness. It also does not account for the time, breeding, expertise, and care invested in working with Stardust and all the other beautiful llamas we have lost.

How do you come back from something like this?

I have spent all my waking hours caring for my wonderful llama family. The authorities lack the necessary knowledge and expertise when it comes to llamas. We train our llamas with camelid dynamics and positive reinforcement, creating a partnership that brings joy to many. My passion and admiration for these wonderful animals inspired me to become a Certified Animal Assisted Intervention Specialist and take the AAAIP exam. Sharing the llama love and happiness to everyone who visits our farm.

Stardust, The Pocket Rocket, Merlin, Rossi, Dylan, Troy, Querrida, and Baloo brought joy to many people and gave our family so much happiness.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government provided grants to businesses. We are expected to continue with no income and with no financial support from the authorities, despite our grief.

Please bear with us during these difficult months, we have more testing and not knowing whether we will lose more of our beautiful llamas.

We can offer needle felting courses with the llama fibre and Pig Enrichments, and our delicious Afternoon tea, five star rated by the Forest of Dean Council.

In honour of eight llamas that are no longer with us, you can support us by booking a needle felting workshop, a pig enrichment or afternoon tea.

Please share this everywhere to raise awareness and help our business continue.

Our heartfelt thanks from Lisa & Family x