Editing Llama (section)

=== Guard behavior ===
{{Main|Guard llama}}
[[File:Guard llama and flock-enhanced.jpg|thumb|231x231px|A llama guarding a flock of sheep at a farm in [[Massachusetts]] ]]<!-- Commented out: [[File:Lever-park-1910.png|thumb|Llama at [[Rivington]], Lancashire, ''circa'' 1912]] -->
Using llamas as livestock guards in North America began in the early 1980s, and some sheep producers have used llamas successfully since then. Some would even use them to guard their smaller cousins, the alpaca.<ref>International Llama Association. (1995). "Guard Llamas." ILA Educational Brochure No. 2.</ref><ref name = "Geo">Walker, Cameron. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20030611171727/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0610_030610_llamashepherds.html Guard Llamas Keep Sheep Safe From Coyotes.]" ''[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]'', 10 June 2003.</ref> They are used most commonly in the western regions of the [[United States]], where larger predators, such as coyotes and feral dogs, are prevalent. Typically, a single gelding (castrated male) is used.

Research suggests using multiple guard llamas is not as effective as one. Multiple males tend to bond with one another rather than with the livestock and may ignore the flock. A gelded male of two years of age bonds closely with its new charges and is instinctively very effective in preventing predation. Some llamas bond more quickly to sheep or goats if introduced just before [[lambing]]. Many sheep and goat producers indicate a special bond quickly develops between lambs and their guard llama, and the llama is particularly protective of the lambs.

Using llamas as guards has reduced the losses to predators for many producers. The value of the livestock saved each year exceeds a llama's purchase cost and annual maintenance. Although not every llama is suited to the job, most are a viable, nonlethal alternative for reducing predation, requiring no training and little care.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whyllama.com/GuardLlamas.htm#Guarding%20behavior/ |title=Guard Llamas: An Alternative for Effective Predator Management |access-date=28 April 2010 |archive-date=17 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517005201/http://whyllama.com/GuardLlamas.htm#Guarding%20behavior/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2017}}