0:00:02 > 0:00:04Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay!
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Like that?
0:00:06 > 0:00:08THEY LAUGH
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Look at me. I'm covered.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14In the most remote places on earth,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17people depend on their animals for survival.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22A few years ago, I moved to a farm in the Welsh hills.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24I've become fascinated
0:00:24 > 0:00:27by the ancient bond between shepherd and flock.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31In Afghanistan, I looked back in time
0:00:31 > 0:00:35and saw the origins of our relationship with livestock.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39The admiration that I have for these people really knows no bounds.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Now, in Peru, I get to grips with a very different animal.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45The alpaca.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48There is sex going on in every direction.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49Aqui, aqui!
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Alpaca herding in Peru goes back thousands of years.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59But today, the people of the Andes are at a crossroads
0:00:59 > 0:01:03and must choose between tradition and progress.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06What I'm going for is really what I go for when I pick a racehorse,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08which is a pretty face and a nice bum.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'm in the heartland of one of the greatest empires
0:01:24 > 0:01:25the world has ever seen.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29The Incas are famous for their architecture
0:01:29 > 0:01:32and many of their buildings are still standing today.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37But what few people know is just how skilled they were
0:01:37 > 0:01:39as farmers and as herders.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42They had this amazing livestock management system
0:01:42 > 0:01:44which allowed them to build up
0:01:44 > 0:01:48one of the finest herds that the world has ever known.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52And in turn, produce some of the finest textiles.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56Now, I'm heading from here right up into the high mountains
0:01:56 > 0:02:00to some of the remote modern-day Peruvian herding communities
0:02:00 > 0:02:04to find out what, if any, of that Inca heritage still remains.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12The arrival of the Spanish conquistadors
0:02:12 > 0:02:15ended the Inca civilisation 500 years ago.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Their modern-day descendants, the Quechua,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20are known for making colourful clothing,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22but how do their achievements compare
0:02:22 > 0:02:25with those of their illustrious ancestors?
0:02:28 > 0:02:30I'm heading to village called Chaulloqocha,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34which produces some of the best textiles in this area.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38It's half a day's drive away, high up into the mountains.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44This was where corn was found, potatoes were found,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46tobacco was found, tomatoes were found.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49You can see it's just bursting with life.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56The tribes of the Andes were as skilled with their animals
0:02:56 > 0:02:58as they were with their crops.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01But that was more than five centuries ago.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04I want to find out what things are like today.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11We're at 4,300 metres here, so quite high.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14The tops of the mountains are well and truly shrouded in cloud.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20It's January and the beginning of the wet season in Peru.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23I'm amazed we've been able to drive this far.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26But the final stage of the journey will be on foot.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28My translator Urbano
0:03:28 > 0:03:31has been to Chaulloqocha before and knows the way.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36It feels like there are houses sort of all spread out.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Chaulloqocha village is not a compact place.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42And here, this is the house where we are going now.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44- This one here, right down...? - Down there, yeah.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46There are people at the wall expecting us.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I think they are waiting for us.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54I can hear giggling.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56KATE LAUGHS
0:03:57 > 0:03:59THEY GIGGLE
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Look at this. It's immaculately neat.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08- Alhandrina.- Alhandrina.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- Hola.- Hola. Buenos dias.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16I'm going to be living with Alhandrina, her son, Augustine,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19and the rest of their extended family
0:04:19 > 0:04:21in their two-roomed, thatched house.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26The family depend on one crop, potatoes.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29And on one animal, alpacas.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32They are extraordinary-looking animals.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34They look like they've been put together
0:04:34 > 0:04:37from sort of different parts of different animals.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Alpacas, like llamas, are closely related to camels.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45They were the foundation of the Inca empire
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and they're still prized for their wool-like fibre.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53How many alpacas do your family have?
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Beautiful! How many days old is that?
0:05:06 > 0:05:08One day only.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Are any more of the herd pregnant?
0:05:14 > 0:05:18What is a baby alpaca called? Is it a lamb?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24So it is literally little alpaca.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Alpaca cucha? Alpaca cucha.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32But not all is well with the baby alpaca.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38It turns out it's actually sick.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41It's having trouble breathing,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44but Augustine says there's nothing he can do to help it.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53The family have very kindly lent me this room to sleep in.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56It is a bedroom, but it's also clearly a storeroom.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Up here, there are huge amounts of sacks
0:05:59 > 0:06:03which I think might all have alpaca fibre in.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Piles of clothes, cooking pots.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07The bed is sort of squeezed in,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09but er...it's sort of...
0:06:09 > 0:06:12well, comfortable enough, if you like lumps.
0:06:12 > 0:06:18But the thing I love most about this room is its unique decoration.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20When I first came in here,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I made the mistake of looking up.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26And in the rafters is a dead cat.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31There's a slightly strange smell in here, it has to be said.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Night-night.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41LAUGHTER
0:06:45 > 0:06:46As well as their alpacas,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49the family look after some smaller animals.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Guinea pigs sleep in holes by the fire
0:06:52 > 0:06:55and have free run of the house during the day.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00GIGGLING
0:07:05 > 0:07:09They're sort of like a four-legged recycling unit.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Potatoes and vegetable peelings go to the guinea pigs.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17There's some bad news.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20The baby alpaca I saw yesterday didn't make it.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Augustine is going to butcher it straightaway.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30We're so squeamish about this sort of thing in western society,
0:07:30 > 0:07:35and yet here's a little girl aged three or four helping her father.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38Nothing is wasted.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The hide will be sold and the meat eaten.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49More than half of baby alpacas die here.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Foxes and birds of prey are a threat,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54but the cold, wet weather is the biggest killer.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Augustine is going to shear some alpacas
0:08:01 > 0:08:04in a special enclosure at the top of the ridge.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12What I think we're doing is, er...
0:08:12 > 0:08:17driving the alpacas up to a corral,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21a sort of stone enclosure on the top of that mountain.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25KATE LAUGHS
0:08:28 > 0:08:32It's quite wet, it's quite slippery, and it's quite steep.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45It's quite inspiring to see the whole family out here.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Grandmother, parents, children.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Way up there is a little girl who can't be more than six.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56And I feel like I'm going to have to call an emergency helicopter in a minute.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00It's exhausting. Come on, you lot.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06The alpacas are driven into the corral, ready for shearing.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14After our long climb, it's time for some refreshment, Andean style.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18OK.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Why do you chew this?
0:09:28 > 0:09:30It doesn't taste of much.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It sort of tastes of eating a hedge, really.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34And now I'm probably not talking very well
0:09:34 > 0:09:37because the whole of my mouth is tingling and my tongue's gone numb.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43The male alpacas are taking full advantage of our coca break.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47So when the alpacas make this noise...
0:09:47 > 0:09:49KATE IMITATES AN ALPACA
0:09:49 > 0:09:50..what does it mean?
0:09:52 > 0:09:54OK.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58They're happy. It's a content noise.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59THEY LAUGH
0:10:02 > 0:10:05There doesn't seem to be any kind of breeding system.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08The alpacas are just left to get on with it.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Augustine has selected an animal for shearing.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Oh, it won't be that bad!
0:10:17 > 0:10:21When you feel this fibre... Oh!
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I got told off for referring to it as wool. It is fibre.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27And it actually does feel very different
0:10:27 > 0:10:29from the wool that you might get from a sheep.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Alpaca fibre is up to seven times warmer than sheep's wool.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41Along with cashmere from goats,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45it's one of the world's most prized natural threads.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49I have never seen shearing done
0:10:49 > 0:10:52with what is effectively a kitchen knife.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Alpaca fibre has been keeping the people of the Andes warm
0:10:56 > 0:10:58for thousands of years.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00The Incas were obsessed with it
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and valued it more than gold and silver.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09It's quite easy to see how the Incas built their empire on this, really.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11It has the feel of absolute luxury.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22There seems to be an enormous amount of fibre coming off
0:11:22 > 0:11:24what is actually quite a small animal.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29The family are going keep these fleeces
0:11:29 > 0:11:31to make clothes and handicrafts.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34But most of their fibre will be sold to collectors,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37middlemen who buy as much fibre as they can
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and sell it on to Peru's processing factories.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47How many soles does the collector pay per pound?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54An average-sized fleece like this
0:11:54 > 0:11:59would earn Augustine and his wife Demesia about £8.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01It doesn't sound very much for a lot of work.
0:12:09 > 0:12:15Can you make enough money from your alpacas
0:12:15 > 0:12:17to support the whole family?
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Fibre from the family's herd of 60 animals
0:12:41 > 0:12:45earns them £160 at most every year.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48There are many mouths to feed and times are hard.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07It's about 5:30 in the morning.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11So we're just taking the sprouts off some potatoes.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16There are guinea pigs running around and a cat by the fire.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19It's a very cosy domestic scene.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Alhandrina makes a shocking discovery.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32That one doesn't look so good!
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Alhandrina was fattening this guinea pig up,
0:13:47 > 0:13:48ready for a special meal.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54I know we think of guinea pigs as pets,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57but here, every now and then, they think,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00"Right, it's time for a roast," and, er...kill one.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02So they're sort of much-loved,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04as you can see, and kept beautifully,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07but very much as livestock, rather than as a pet.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12LAUGHTER
0:14:14 > 0:14:17The women are going to process the alpaca fibre.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20After picking out dirt and other impurities,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23the next task is to spin the individual hairs into a thread.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Alhandrina, did you teach all your daughters how to spin?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Alhandrina wants to teach me the basics.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41I'll be punished if I make a mistake.
0:14:45 > 0:14:46KATE LAUGHS
0:14:48 > 0:14:51If I get it wrong?
0:14:51 > 0:14:52So I spin like that?
0:14:57 > 0:15:02This process transforms this kind of fluffy rope
0:15:02 > 0:15:05into a much thinner thread
0:15:05 > 0:15:07which can then be woven.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11Mine's a little bit lumpy.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Keep it...? Keep pulling it?
0:15:18 > 0:15:19THEY LAUGH
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Raw fibre may not earn them very much,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30but after the women have made it into textiles,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32they can sell it for a great deal more.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36I'm not doing very well, am I? You need six hands!
0:15:36 > 0:15:38THEY LAUGH
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Our snack of boiled potatoes is interrupted
0:15:47 > 0:15:49when Augustine sees one of the alpacas
0:15:49 > 0:15:51having trouble giving birth.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56It's a large baby, and it looks like it's stuck.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06The family only have a few adult alpacas,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08so the mother is the priority.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16With a lamb, I know what to do. With an alpaca, I don't.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21All right, all right, all right.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Good girl, good girl.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Well done! Good girl.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Good girl, good girl. Good girl!
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Good girl!
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Good girl!
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Wow! That's a lot of leg to come out.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46So much bigger than lambs.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49And actually, an alpaca isn't much bigger than a sheep.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52SHOUTING
0:16:53 > 0:16:57They're worried that she may have some sort of infection.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00They have asked our director to pee in a bottle,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03which he has duly done because he's a very well-behaved man.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07And I think...someone is going to come... There they are.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11They're going to use...
0:17:13 > 0:17:17..the pee as an antiseptic.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23People can't afford medicine up here,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26so they make do with whatever they can get their hands on.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Augustine decides to name the baby James, after our director.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36We leave him to bond with his mother and head back to the house.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It may have been a traumatic birth, but they both look OK.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55The family are cooking a feast to welcome me into their home.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58And there's a special treat on the menu.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05So...I can safely say I've never eaten guinea pig before.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Mm!
0:18:08 > 0:18:12And I can tell you, and I'm sorry to all of you
0:18:12 > 0:18:14who've got a beloved pet guinea pig at home,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17it's absolutely delicious!
0:18:17 > 0:18:19It's kind of like dark chicken meat.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22Yum!
0:18:22 > 0:18:25All of those mothers fed up of cleaning out
0:18:25 > 0:18:27your children's guinea pigs, cook 'em!
0:18:31 > 0:18:32Oh! Delicioso!
0:18:38 > 0:18:40LAUGHTER
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Peru is modernising fast.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54And even the most remote communities are beginning to change.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Basic sanitation was put in a year ago
0:18:58 > 0:19:00and electricity will soon follow.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07But this is a marginal existence.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Up to three million Peruvians
0:19:09 > 0:19:12still live from hand to mouth up in the Andes.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19We're going to check on the baby alpaca, James,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21that was born yesterday.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Oh, there he is!
0:19:23 > 0:19:25KATE LAUGHS
0:19:29 > 0:19:31James looks in great shape.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Augustine thinks he's got a good chance of making it.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37But despite such new additions,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Augustine has very little land,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42so he's unable to increase the size of his herd.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Improvements in health care
0:19:57 > 0:20:00means more of the village's children are reaching adulthood.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Each family's grazing land
0:20:02 > 0:20:05is being divided into smaller and smaller plots,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08which are getting more and more degraded.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Lack of space is not the only problem Augustine faces.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Are all your animals pure alpacas?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Llamas and alpacas can mate,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39and their offspring's fibre is coarser
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and less valuable than a pure-bred alpaca's.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Augustine has so few animals, they are inbred, too,
0:20:46 > 0:20:51and more vulnerable to bad weather, disease and parasites.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Trying to make ends meet with just a few poor quality animals
0:20:55 > 0:20:59is too much of a struggle for many young herders.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Thousands are leaving their villages,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04preferring to take their chances in towns and cities.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11The women gather on the hillside and set up their looms.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15The Incas wove alpaca fibre
0:21:15 > 0:21:19into some of the finest cloth the world has ever seen.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22And there are echoes of their skill in Alhandrina's work.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25I mean, don't those look like
0:21:25 > 0:21:28absolute classic Inca designs?
0:21:28 > 0:21:29Definitely an alpaca.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40The family will keep a few of the scarves and shawls they make,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44but they hope that most will eventually be sold on,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46bringing in much-needed cash.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52Do you worry that young people being born in the village here
0:21:52 > 0:21:56will leave and go and work in towns,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58that they will leave this traditional life?
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I'm really enjoying getting to know this family.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34But I sense that I've come to Chaulloqocha at a pivotal time,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36after which nothing will ever be the same.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Not everyone in the village is struggling financially.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48On the ridge above the family's house
0:22:48 > 0:22:51lives Augustine's cousin, Tomas Puma.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Buenos dias.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55Buenos dias. Buenos dias.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Me llamo Katia.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Me llamo Tomas.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Nice to meet you. Me gusta.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06A few years ago, Tomas made the two-day journey to town
0:23:06 > 0:23:09to try to get a better price for his fibre.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Tomas's fibre, like Augustine's,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29was from llama alpaca hybrids.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31The competition was from pure alpacas,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34worth much more per pound.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Tomas's eyes were opened.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38He became a collector himself,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42buying fleeces from other herders and selling them on for a profit.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Business is good, and he's now made enough money
0:23:45 > 0:23:48to start buying in better quality alpacas.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Tomas paid £300 for this pure-bred male.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Five times what a normal alpaca is worth.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04It is like a completely different animal.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06This feels almost like velvet.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09And if I were an Inca princess,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I'd want to wear fibre from this one.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14A llama alpaca hybrid's fibre
0:24:14 > 0:24:18is worth only six soles, £1.50 per pound.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24If you sell the fibre from this animal,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27how many soles per pound for this fibre?
0:24:32 > 0:24:3312 soles.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40So double what the usual alpacas in this area get.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Tomas has a simple breeding system.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Castrating lower quality males
0:24:50 > 0:24:53so only his very best get to mate.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57It will take him a few years to improve his herd,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00but his eye is fixed firmly on the future.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I wonder whether really what I'm witnessing
0:25:06 > 0:25:11is the end of the kind of small family farm
0:25:11 > 0:25:15and perhaps the beginning of people like Tomas
0:25:15 > 0:25:18taking over land and taking over livestock.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21And I kind of hate myself for saying this, I hate it,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23it goes against everything I believe in.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28I love the fact that people can still be self-sufficient,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30still be connected to the land,
0:25:30 > 0:25:36but I suspect that these small farms can't really exist any more,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38that they have to be gobbled up
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and become part of a much bigger, more commercial enterprise
0:25:41 > 0:25:45for alpaca herding to survive here in Peru.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48CHILDREN SING
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Back at the house, there's an air of excitement.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Tonight is a special night for one of the girls.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I had a bit of a shock.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Augustine and Demesia asked if I would be godmother
0:26:14 > 0:26:17to their second child,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22who has the rather marvellous name of Mary the Miraculous.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24And I've accepted.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28And so there is a ceremony happening any moment now.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30I'm not quite sure what it involves,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33but it's something to do with hair cutting
0:26:33 > 0:26:34and handing over quite a lot of money.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Who gets the haircut and who gets the money, I'm not entirely sure,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41but...but I'm really delighted.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44The family has asked one of our translators, Hector,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46to be Mary's godfather.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50- We have a big responsibility.- Yes.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53- And I am so happy, too.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Every lock of hair earns a donation from a godparent
0:26:57 > 0:26:59or one of the family.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It doesn't take long before little Mary
0:27:15 > 0:27:18is as shorn as one of her father's alpacas.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Alhandrina wants to sell some fibre.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35She's sent a message to her nephew, Tomas, to come and visit.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45THEY LAUGH
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Alhandrina has made £23.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03But if the fibre was better quality,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05she could have earned twice as much.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20It's clear that Augustine and Demesia face many challenges.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23What do they think the future holds for their family?
0:28:45 > 0:28:47They have two options.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Stay and improve their alpaca herd
0:28:50 > 0:28:52or look for work in a town.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08With such a low income,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11it's going to be a struggle to get things started.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13But Augustine has one thing in his favour.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16A strong, skilled family.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19With their support, he might just be able to make a go of it.
0:29:23 > 0:29:24It's time for me to leave.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Augustine is determined to make more money from his fibre.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33But I want to know what he's up against,
0:29:33 > 0:29:35so I'm going to check out the competition.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42It doesn't take long
0:29:42 > 0:29:45before dirt tracks give way to Tarmac roads.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50In one minute, you can be in a community
0:29:50 > 0:29:53that feels completely cut off from the outside world,
0:29:53 > 0:29:55where there's no electricity,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58people are really living on potatoes and guinea pig,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02and within an hour, be in quite a sophisticated town.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Tarmacked roads, electricity, internet.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Peru has one of the world's fastest-growing economies.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Industry is booming and hundreds of thousands of people
0:30:14 > 0:30:17are leaving villages like Chaulloqocha every year
0:30:17 > 0:30:19to work in towns and cities.
0:30:19 > 0:30:24Most end up in low-paid, menial jobs, living in shanty towns.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28If Augustine and Demesia were to leave their mountain home,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30this is the kind of life they could expect.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35We're heading back up into the Andes,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39but this is a very different landscape.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41There are no villages or potato fields.
0:30:41 > 0:30:47Instead, we seem to be driving through one great big ranch.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50We're at nearly 5,000 metres here
0:30:50 > 0:30:53and I'm going to meet a man who is right at the top of his game.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55In this area of Peru,
0:30:55 > 0:30:58he probably has one of the finest herds of alpacas.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04- Buenos dias, Hugo.- Buenos dias.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06How are you? Todo bien?
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- Buenos dias. Todo bien. - Good, good.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13The animals in Chaulloqocha were a hotchpotch of different colours,
0:31:13 > 0:31:15sizes and breeds.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18But Hugo Yucra's are like a herd of clones.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22These are all Suri alpacas.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25A rare breed that produces the finest fibre.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28It's like silk, isn't it?
0:31:28 > 0:31:31It's so fine and...
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Oh, it's just... It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:31:36 > 0:31:40I love my family in Chaulloqocha, but, er...
0:31:42 > 0:31:46..the quality of their fibre just simply doesn't come close.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49While Tomas spends a few hundred pounds on new blood,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52Hugo is prepared to invest thousands.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56These are all females.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59The males are kept in a different area of the ranch.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02This morning, Hugo wants to separate his best animals.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06This one here? Oh, yeah.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10How difficult can it be to spot a thoroughbred from a second-rater?
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Oh! Hugo, I like that one.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17That's the one!
0:32:20 > 0:32:23Good catch. What do you think? Good?
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Right, next one.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28This one. That's the one!
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Bueno?
0:32:34 > 0:32:36I could get used to this!
0:32:38 > 0:32:42What I'm going for is really what I go for when I pick a racehorse,
0:32:42 > 0:32:44which is a pretty face and a nice bum.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46Although in this case, I'm also looking at the hairstyle.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51What do you think of this one? Is it OK?
0:32:52 > 0:32:54So not so good.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56You see? I thought I was getting the hang of it.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06They might grow lovely wool that's turned into luxury items,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09but there's a filthy side to alpacas.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11And that's when they're in a bad mood
0:33:11 > 0:33:13or they disagree with what you're doing to them...
0:33:13 > 0:33:15Sorry!
0:33:15 > 0:33:17KATE LAUGHS
0:33:17 > 0:33:18..they spit at you.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21And that's exactly what this one's doing to me.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23And it's not just... Stop it!
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Look at me. I'm covered in basically...
0:33:29 > 0:33:31That's come from the depths of their bowels.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32Believe me, it stinks.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36This isn't just a kind of little gob like some yob on a Saturday night,
0:33:36 > 0:33:41this is a full-blown "I hate your guts." Come on. No!
0:33:42 > 0:33:44She needs some manners taught to her, that one.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50We've separated off all of Hugo's top females.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Now we need to count the rest of the herd.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Bear with me. This could all go horribly wrong.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Do I count in Spanish...or English?
0:34:13 > 0:34:14166.
0:34:14 > 0:34:20You made it 164, I made 163.
0:34:20 > 0:34:21THEY LAUGH
0:34:22 > 0:34:25Close.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27Let's go with his. That makes you richer!
0:34:27 > 0:34:30THEY LAUGH
0:34:31 > 0:34:34The top females are much easier to keep track of.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39Thirteen that will be mated with the best males at the end of the month.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43Outside of the corral, Hugo's alpacas are given free range.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46He owns more than 3,000 animals,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49spread out over 3,000 hectares.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50So there's no overcrowding
0:34:50 > 0:34:53or overgrazing on this ranch.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59We drive higher up into the mountains to Hugo's farmhouse.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04His wife and young children live in town a few hours away.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07But Hugo spends much of his time up here.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09He may be a successful breeder,
0:35:09 > 0:35:11but he lives without running water,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14electricity or any home comforts.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18Hugo very kindly has said that we can use this room.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22And as you can see, we've got a table and chairs set up,
0:35:22 > 0:35:27so me and all the crew are eating in here.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31And come night-time, the table will be cleared away
0:35:31 > 0:35:33and we'll all be sleeping in here, as well.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38No dead cats hanging from the rafters.
0:35:38 > 0:35:39Although I hate to say it,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41I think there might be something dead in here.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45I can certainly smell something not too savoury.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47(It'll be fine.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49(That's what you say when you're being stoic.)
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Hugo doesn't come from a herding background.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59His father was a trader
0:35:59 > 0:36:02who bought alpaca fleeces from highland villages.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04As a boy, Hugo travelled with him
0:36:04 > 0:36:09and began to dream of one day having a herd of his own.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13He realised early on that quality of fibre is everything.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15And he now goes to extreme lengths to get it.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Hugo puts plastic capes on his top alpacas
0:36:22 > 0:36:25to protect their fibre from the elements.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27This one doesn't seem very happy with its new look.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30SQUEALING
0:36:30 > 0:36:33They do seem to be very highly strung.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Kind of constantly making a fuss about something.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Everything's a drama and I'm going to scream the place down
0:36:39 > 0:36:41until someone either leaves me alone
0:36:41 > 0:36:44or does what I want them to do.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48They're kind of like spoilt children.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51And when they get really angry, they then just sit down.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54It's like having a tantrum.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56..It's not so bad.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58They're putting a nice coat on you. Be quiet.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Yeah, yeah.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Hugo's animals may be some of the best in southern Peru,
0:37:04 > 0:37:09but amazingly, even they cannot match the quality of fibre
0:37:09 > 0:37:12that has been found in Inca burial sites.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16There's some bad weather blowing in,
0:37:16 > 0:37:19so I head for my sleeping bag and an early night.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Although it was freezing cold outside, it was quite warm in here.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Mud walls obviously work quite well with insulation.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43I did wear absolutely every item of clothing that I'm wearing now.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Hugo thought it would snow last night,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50so he moved the baby alpacas and their mums
0:37:50 > 0:37:52into a specially built nursery.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55But shelter's not the only thing he gives them.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58What is this drink you're giving them?
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Iodine stops her navel getting infected.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21And she'll also be vaccinated against disease and parasites.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Newborns are very vulnerable to the cold,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26so Hugo's giving this one some extra protection.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28A-ha!
0:38:28 > 0:38:31I tell you, I wouldn't have minded one of those capes last night.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Bueno!
0:38:42 > 0:38:46In Chaulloqocha, as many as six out of ten of babies don't make it.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51Hugo's care and attention means half as many die here,
0:38:51 > 0:38:53even though conditions are harsher.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55His herd is growing.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59And their fleeces are becoming famous throughout southern Peru.
0:39:02 > 0:39:08It's clear from meeting Hugo that he has his sights set high,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11but what's also clear is the great gap
0:39:11 > 0:39:14between what Hugo is doing
0:39:14 > 0:39:18and what Tomas and Augustine are able to do.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Hugo and Augustine may be worlds apart,
0:39:23 > 0:39:28but their fibre ends up in the same place, Peru's processing factories.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30And that's where I'm going now.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34We're going to leave the mountains and the farms,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37head for the big city of Arequipa,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40which is really where everything happens.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Where all the decisions, the key decisions are made.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50Strategically located between the herders in the mountains
0:39:50 > 0:39:51and the coastal ports,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Arequipa is the world capital of the alpaca industry.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04The streets are lined with shops selling alpaca clothing.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07And the industrial parks are busy seven days a week
0:40:07 > 0:40:11turning alpaca fibre into products for global export.
0:40:14 > 0:40:15The Michell Corporation
0:40:15 > 0:40:19is the largest alpaca processor in the world.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Every year, up to five million tonnes of fibre
0:40:22 > 0:40:24is driven down to this warehouse
0:40:24 > 0:40:27from collection centres in the Andes.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31Each of these bags are what we call in Spanish "quintal".
0:40:31 > 0:40:36- It means 100 pounds.- Right. - 46.2 kilos.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41CEO Derek Michell is taking me on a whistle-stop tour
0:40:41 > 0:40:43to show me how this raw material
0:40:43 > 0:40:47is transformed into top quality yarns and textiles.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Impurities, tangled fibres
0:40:52 > 0:40:56and coarse hairs are removed at every stage.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01- So it's getting cleaner and cleaner all the time.- That's right.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04I wish I'd known, I'd have brought all my laundry with me.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07That would be good, that would be good.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18Covering an area of about 15 football pitches,
0:41:18 > 0:41:20it's a huge operation.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27I think Augustine and Alhandrina would be amazed
0:41:27 > 0:41:30that their little bag of fibre
0:41:30 > 0:41:33ends up in a place like this.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41This is the beginning of the spinning factory.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44And this is what comes out.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Suddenly, that's looking almost more recognisable as a yarn.
0:41:48 > 0:41:49As a yarn.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51The machines are mimicking
0:41:51 > 0:41:56what people have been doing by hand for thousands of years.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00So what the ladies used to do by stretching and twisting,
0:42:00 > 0:42:02is what this machine is doing.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04- That's what it's doing.- Exactly.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Yarns are woven into textiles
0:42:09 > 0:42:12and textiles are then sewn into garments.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15- I've got a very small head. - It doesn't look bad.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18That's called a chullo. That's a Peruvian chullo.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20- Right.- There you go.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23- Yeah, adorable. - It doesn't look that bad.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26It's kind of amazing that up in Chaulloqocha,
0:42:26 > 0:42:30you've got somebody shearing their alpaca with a kitchen knife...
0:42:30 > 0:42:33- Exactly.- ..and it could end up looking like this.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35That's right, yeah.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39Peru makes the majority of the world's alpaca products.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41And a large proportion goes to China.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44Being such a big consumer, it's no surprise
0:42:44 > 0:42:49that China wants to start producing its own alpaca fibre.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53We've been hearing a lot that already there are some alpacas in China.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56And that's something that does worry us as a business.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00If they were to grow in animals big time,
0:43:00 > 0:43:04we could start winding down somehow in Peru.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09As well as China, Australia, New Zealand and the USA
0:43:09 > 0:43:11have their own top quality herds.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Peru's position as the number one alpaca producer
0:43:15 > 0:43:16is by no means certain.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23We're back where we started, the sorting room.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27These ladies grade all the fibre that passes through the warehouse
0:43:27 > 0:43:31using skills handed down from generation to generation.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36- This is really the kind of key process.- Absolutely.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37If it wasn't for these ladies,
0:43:37 > 0:43:40all the alpaca would be mixed into one single lot
0:43:40 > 0:43:42- and shipped out as an average fibre. - Right.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46The women sort the fibre according to its thickness,
0:43:46 > 0:43:50which is measured in millionths of a metre, or microns.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53The finest fibre will be made into clothing,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56the coarsest into carpets.
0:43:56 > 0:43:57The whole basis of it is here.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01If these ladies would not know how to sort,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04there's just no machine that could even come close to it.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08So Maria is the highest paid woman in Peru?
0:44:08 > 0:44:10Oh, she's definitely the highest paid woman.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12At least she's the most appreciated, let me tell you that!
0:44:12 > 0:44:14THEY LAUGH
0:44:14 > 0:44:17OK, I've got a little test for you.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21This is some of the fibre Augustine sheared up in Chaulloqocha.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Is it worth anything to a processor like Derek?
0:44:26 > 0:44:28It's a decent fleece.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31There'll be parts which are between 20 and 22 microns.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34So that's pretty good quality, really.
0:44:34 > 0:44:3922 microns is four times finer than a human hair.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42It's not top of the range, but it's certainly good enough
0:44:42 > 0:44:44for a scarf or a shawl.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48- I sort of expected you to rubbish this fibre.- No, no.
0:44:48 > 0:44:53So what you're telling me is that the traditional herders
0:44:53 > 0:44:56still produce product that you can use and has a value.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Oh, yes, absolutely.
0:44:58 > 0:45:04And would you be able to say roughly the percentage of fibre you process
0:45:04 > 0:45:09that comes from the communities compared to the breeders?
0:45:09 > 0:45:10I mean...
0:45:10 > 0:45:14Oh! It would be 95% to 5% probably.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17So, you need communities like Chaulloqocha?
0:45:17 > 0:45:19- Of course we do! - They're vital to you.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21Of course we need their fibre. Absolutely.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25We would like them to have a better fibre, that's the only thing.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29To encourage herders to improve their animals,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Derek has started buying directly from them,
0:45:31 > 0:45:35cutting out middlemen and paying a premium for fine fibre.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38You've cheered me up. I want to run back up the hill to Chaulloqocha
0:45:38 > 0:45:41and tell them, "This is really good!"
0:45:41 > 0:45:43This is what we're trying to do.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45We're really trying to get as much penetration
0:45:45 > 0:45:47between the farmer and the industry
0:45:47 > 0:45:50to make sure that we give the right messages,
0:45:50 > 0:45:52that they receive the right messages
0:45:52 > 0:45:57and hopefully with that, keep the farming of animals going.
0:45:57 > 0:45:58Because if they don't...
0:45:58 > 0:46:01We're out of business, we're out of business.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03Every single person who works in this is gone.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06Absolutely. Absolutely. Yep.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11It's such a relief to be told that Augustine's fibre has a value.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15But I now realise that the stakes are even higher than I'd imagined
0:46:15 > 0:46:19and the whole of Peru's alpaca industry is on a knife edge.
0:46:22 > 0:46:23But there is hope.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27Before I leave Peru, Derek wants me to visit Mallkini Ranch,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30the Michell Company's alpaca research centre.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Manager Moises Asparrin has one objective,
0:46:35 > 0:46:40to improve Peru's alpaca herd as quickly as possible.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Breeding is therefore top of the agenda.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00The females that Moises said are ready for breeding
0:47:00 > 0:47:04have been brought into their own private little boudoirs.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08And the alpacas that are running around me now are all males
0:47:08 > 0:47:12and they've got numbers on that will correspond to their females.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16And so number 10 here is looking for his number 10 female.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24I've found number 10's girlfriend
0:47:24 > 0:47:27and I'm going to try and get him to go there.
0:47:32 > 0:47:33Aqui, aqui!
0:47:33 > 0:47:35Oh, there we go! There you go!
0:47:37 > 0:47:39Oh, now, look at that! It's love at first sight.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51The noise an alpaca male makes during mating is known as orgling.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Apparently, it encourages the female to ovulate,
0:47:54 > 0:47:56helping to ensure conception.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03Moises wants to produce babies with the finest fibre.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05But this system will also help him
0:48:05 > 0:48:08to weed out males that don't meet the mark.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35Now, it's not looking like the greatest romance in the world
0:48:35 > 0:48:37in number 20's pen.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Both of them are looking studiously uninterested in each other.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42But apparently, according to Moises,
0:48:42 > 0:48:44it's not that they don't like each another,
0:48:44 > 0:48:47it's because the male has got performance anxiety,
0:48:47 > 0:48:49so turn away, please.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59There are almost 4,000 alpacas here,
0:48:59 > 0:49:01but each animal is carefully monitored
0:49:01 > 0:49:04and daily reports are fed into a database.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07Moises is following in the footsteps of the Incas,
0:49:07 > 0:49:11whose highly organised, large-scale herding system
0:49:11 > 0:49:14was fundamental to their success.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18But there's one thing Moises has access to which the Incas did not.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21The latest breeding techniques.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25These guys are up against really a race against time.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28They want to improve the alpaca herds.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31They want Peru to be back on the map
0:49:31 > 0:49:35of producing some of the finest alpaca fibre in the world.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37And to do that, artificial insemination
0:49:37 > 0:49:40is going to be a crucial tool in their box.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45Artificial insemination enables the genes of the very best animals
0:49:45 > 0:49:48to be passed on with clinical efficiency.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52It's been used commercially in sheep and other livestock for many years,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55but it's still being tried out with alpacas.
0:49:55 > 0:49:56The first step is to see
0:49:56 > 0:49:59whether the potential mothers are ready to breed.
0:50:00 > 0:50:05Waiting patiently outside is a male alpaca.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09Now, he's castrated, so he can't get any of these females pregnant,
0:50:09 > 0:50:13but what he can do is get them all roused up and excited.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16If the female accepts the male's advances,
0:50:16 > 0:50:20she's injected with a hormone to make sure she ovulates.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23If she refuses him, she'll go back into the herd.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26Crikey! She was very receptive.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31There's a terrible expression in English, which is "gagging for it".
0:50:31 > 0:50:33Professor Willy Vivanco
0:50:33 > 0:50:36is a world-renowned animal reproduction expert.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40He's spent much of his career working with sheep
0:50:40 > 0:50:43and he's now trying to perfect the technique with alpacas.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47Just when he's getting to the fun part, you pull him off.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50You're a hard man!
0:50:50 > 0:50:53We just use him for the very short space.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56Enough to do the stimulation
0:50:56 > 0:50:59and then he has to go to another female and so on,
0:50:59 > 0:51:02so he never ejaculates actually.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04- No. No. He just fluffs.- Exactly.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06KATE LAUGHS
0:51:07 > 0:51:08The mothers are ready.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10Now for the fathers.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13Once again, there's very little romance involved.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18- This is the artificial vagina.- Mm-hm.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22But the alpacas will take up to 20 minutes copulating,
0:51:22 > 0:51:27so we use the electrical blanket to keep it warm.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32The male will be fooled into thinking he's inside a female
0:51:32 > 0:51:35and will ejaculate into a glass tube.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38One of Mallkini's finest males
0:51:38 > 0:51:41is introduced to some receptive females.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43The switch is made at the crucial moment.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Now we have to wait. And wait.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Because that's what a female alpaca has to do.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58The now-familiar sound of orgling reverberates around the room.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05With ruminants like the bull
0:52:05 > 0:52:08or the male goat or the ram,
0:52:08 > 0:52:11- it's seconds.- Right.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14They get stimulated and then they jump
0:52:14 > 0:52:17and ejaculate just in one thrust.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21He's standing up. Is that...?
0:52:21 > 0:52:24That's why I said to you that
0:52:24 > 0:52:27these guys are not on the job straight.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30But they're tired and they...
0:52:30 > 0:52:31They want to get up, they go and get a beer,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34they come back, they check the newspaper.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36THEY LAUGH
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Never ever fall for an alpaca.
0:52:43 > 0:52:44He's done it?
0:52:44 > 0:52:46He's done it? OK. Let's bring it down.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48- Straight to the lab? - Straight to the lab.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51After so much effort, I have to say,
0:52:51 > 0:52:54the result is a bit of an anticlimax.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56Is that it?
0:52:56 > 0:52:58You wait a long time for not very much.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05The semen is diluted to make it go further.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09In this way, a top male can father many more babies in a year
0:53:09 > 0:53:11than by natural mating.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17The first female is blindfolded in a rather rudimentary way
0:53:17 > 0:53:21to stop her panicking and spitting during the insemination.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25There is something fairly discomforting, I suppose,
0:53:25 > 0:53:28about seeing an alpaca with a plastic bag on its head.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30It's one of those things, you know,
0:53:30 > 0:53:34you weigh up discomfort to an animal,
0:53:34 > 0:53:36certainly not cruelty, but discomfort,
0:53:36 > 0:53:40but if this going to make the difference to the species
0:53:40 > 0:53:43and to the future of the alpaca fibre industry,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46then perhaps it's a short bit of discomfort
0:53:46 > 0:53:48that will have much longer-term benefits.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54Willy is trying out two ways of insemination.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58This is the simplest, where the semen is squirted into her cervix
0:53:58 > 0:54:01using, well, something rather like a turkey baster.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05That's the whole thing done.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07She's going to feel cheated by that.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09It should have taken at least 25 minutes.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13The next method is more complicated,
0:54:13 > 0:54:16so this animal has been given a local anaesthetic.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20The semen is injected directly into her uterus.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24The team will compare the effectiveness of each procedure.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26It really is early days.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30The last time they tried this, they only had a 25% success rate.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34Moises is convinced that once perfected,
0:54:34 > 0:54:38this will eventually help to save alpaca herding
0:54:38 > 0:54:40in Peru's poorest villages.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52Though Augustine couldn't afford a breeding male,
0:54:52 > 0:54:55he could afford the semen from one.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59But the very best alpacas can fetch tens of thousands of pounds
0:54:59 > 0:55:01on the global market.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03And I find it hard to believe that all of this
0:55:03 > 0:55:07is being done only for the good of Peru.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Mallkini is a business. It's funded by a business.
0:55:10 > 0:55:11It has to make money.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14Do you really think this can be a reality?
0:55:32 > 0:55:35The Michell Corporation is not financing Mallkini
0:55:35 > 0:55:37out of the goodness of its heart.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39It needs Augustine and the tens of thousands
0:55:39 > 0:55:43of small herders like him to thrive, not fail.
0:55:43 > 0:55:48But what about Augustine's biggest problem, the lack of good pasture?
0:55:48 > 0:55:50Moises has been working on that, too.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54This field has been planted with a mix of special grass
0:55:54 > 0:55:58and alfalfa, a fast-growing, pea-like plant.
0:55:58 > 0:55:59OK.
0:56:10 > 0:56:15This field can support fifteen times as many alpacas as normal pasture.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18Though it costs £30 a year to plant,
0:56:18 > 0:56:24it would transform the fortunes of Augustine and other small herders.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27Alfalfa is particularly good for pregnant and nursing mothers.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32We seem to have walked into a mini baby boom.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Though I still find it incredible that no-one in Peru
0:57:09 > 0:57:11has been able to match the Inca herders,
0:57:11 > 0:57:14I get the feeling it's only a matter of time
0:57:14 > 0:57:17before Moises surpasses even their achievements.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22Mallkini is an impressive set-up.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24But can it improve things quickly enough
0:57:24 > 0:57:27to help families like Augustine's?
0:57:28 > 0:57:32It's clear that Peru has the knowledge,
0:57:32 > 0:57:35has the expertise and has the animals
0:57:35 > 0:57:38to continue to be THE major player
0:57:38 > 0:57:41in the alpaca industry throughout the world.
0:57:42 > 0:57:48But I think Peru needs Augustine and Demesia to be productive.
0:57:48 > 0:57:50It doesn't need its cities to swell any more,
0:57:50 > 0:57:55it needs the high Andes to be able to participate
0:57:55 > 0:57:57in a real and tangible way
0:57:57 > 0:58:02in an industry that they are rightly and should be proud of.
0:58:02 > 0:58:07As Peru fights to preserve the future of its alpaca industry,
0:58:07 > 0:58:11I hope it manages to keep hold of some of its traditions.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13Preserving the best of its old ways
0:58:13 > 0:58:16while embracing much-needed new ones, too.
0:58:18 > 0:58:20They seem quite keen to get off the truck!
0:58:20 > 0:58:23Next time, I travel to the Australian outback
0:58:23 > 0:58:26and experience shepherding on an epic scale.
0:58:26 > 0:58:29There's some here, Bob, just on the right.
0:58:29 > 0:58:33And I see the science of herding being taken to a whole new level.
0:58:33 > 0:58:35Have I just made a sheep?
0:58:38 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd