Guard llama axed for biting sheep

Staff said Larry did a "great" job for five years

A llama has been removed from a country park after biting the sheep he was supposed to be protecting.

Larry the llama was bought to guard sheep from foxes at the Ty Mawr Country Park near Wrexham five years ago.

But after a "power struggle" over food he started attacking the flock and has been transferred to a farm in Powys.

Senior parks and countryside officer Liz Carding said she would miss Larry's "great character", but he would be replaced with a pair of new llamas.

She added: "When we first got him we consulted a lot of experts and the advice was to get a single animal so that he would bond with the sheep and protect them.

"But things have moved on now and the advice is to get two, which is what we will probably do."

It's sad because he's such a great character and we had all got to know him Liz Carding, Ty Mawr Country Park

Larry was brought in to fend off foxes which were targeting lambs and poultry on the estate.

Ms Carding said: "In 2003 much of the countryside was closed off after foot and mouth and as a result foxes benefited.

"They ate a lot of our lambs and chickens and we wanted to introduce an environmentally-friendly way of dealing with them.

"For five years, Larry has been great, but in the last year things have changed. He has been going for the sheep and biting them, causing them quite serious injuries.

"In the end we decided it was time for him to move and he's gone to a farm with other llamas in mid Wales."

Ms Carding added: "It's sad because he's such a great character and we had all got to know him, but for him it's nicer in a way."

Llamas are native to South America and live mainly in the high country of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina.

Covered in shaggy fur, they are generally white but can also be brown or black. They stand an average of 120cm (48 inches) high at the shoulder and weigh about 110kg (250lb).

The park hopes to introduce a pair of llamas by the time lambing gets under way in March.