Bye Bye Bella Oak

Tonight we bid a tearful good-bye to Bella, who died unexpectedly this afternoon while we were away in Chicago. Bella is the beautiful brown alpaca in all of these pictures, and was a big prize winner in her youth. Her fleece was so soft and fine.

Her other herd sisters will remember her as bossy and a bully trying to steal all of their hay and grain. Bella had the best indignant groan/grunt to keep them away from the food containers!

We are once again indebted to our neighbors, who took her to the Purdue Animal Hospital, about 2 hours away, this afternoon. The clinic will be doing an extensive autopsy to see if our other alpacas are at risk. Hopefully this is yet another mysterious death of some kind of natural cause. In the meantime, we mourn the loss of the only alpaca you didn't mind being touched if you sidled up to her quietly.

Rest in peace, sweet Bella. 2005 to 12/22/2017