World Alpaca
Conference 2025 - Germany

Speakers

Arturo Pena | USA

Judges the Fleece Show AAe.V.

Internationale Vlies Schau, AAe.V.

  • Tuesday, 03/04 to Thursday, 03/06/2025 in the ARENA
Judge Arturo Pena from the USA: Judging based on the latest findings, with fiber analysis by Paul Vallely, Art of Fiber. Announcement of the fleece placements in the ARENA on Thursday at 6 p.m.
 
Arturo Pena comes from Arequipa, Peru, and has made a name for himself in the USA as a renowned alpaca expert. His role as operations manager of well-known alpaca breeding farms laid the foundation for his impressive career. With a sound education in veterinary medicine and a bachelor‘s degree in management, Arturo deepened his knowledge. Before his alpaca career, he organized dog shows and discovered his passion for travel at a tour operator in Peru. Today, he organizes educational trips to Peru that offer insights into the alpaca world. As an AOAcertified judge and member of the AOA Judges Advisory Committee (JAC), he has served in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
 
Arturo sees continuous education as the key to success in the alpaca industry. His contribution to scientific research, in particular his study of alpaca antibodies, has been accepted for publication in the scientific journal Theriogenology. In addition to his professional work, he is involved in the library and the Cornell University Cooperative Extension to raise awareness of the alpaca industry in his community.
 
In North Salem, New York, Arturo enjoys life with his wife Kat, their son Nicholas, as they share a love of taking alpaca pictures.

Nick Harrington-Smith

Huacaya Halter, Suri Halter, Fleece, Performance

From a farming family and with agriculture running through his blood Nick has devoted much of his life to farming livestock.  Nick began working with Alpacas in 1998 and currently co-owns and manages Alpaca Evolution, a herd of close to 800 alpacas situated in the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside.  

Nick’s time in Alpacas has presented him with a great deal of opportunities. Nick has been involved in the selection and purchase of breeding stock in both North and South America and Australia, giving him the opportunity to assess many thousands of alpacas in the process.  A dream come true!  He has also watched with pride as those alpacas have gone on to become cornerstones of the UK and European breeding herd. In part, these opportunities encouraged Nick to enter the first British Judge training scheme and becoming the first graduate of the scheme in 2003 and he is now a certified judge trainer for the British Alpaca Society.  Nick then went on to become the first European to have gained qualification as an AoA (American) Halter Judge, as well as certifying for Fleece Judging and Performance classes. 

Nick has judged shows across the UK, Europe, Canada, Australia, and the USA and considers each show judged a great privilege. The high points in his career have to be judging the American National Show and the American Futurity, there can be no greater reward for a judge than being afforded shows of such standing.  Nick strongly believes showing is about education delivered through informed and accurate oral reasons. He is a very strong believer in the show ring as a promotional vehicle for alpacas, but also has a real awareness of the need to keep in perspective its importance in respect of breeding decisions. Nicks primary objective when judging is to ensure that all exhibitors experience an enjoyable and informative event. 

Nick is married to wife Terry and enjoys nothing more than time spent enjoying the alpacas and introducing his much-loved grandchildren to the joys of farming, alpacas, and the Great British countryside.  Though a spot of fishing doesn’t go amiss now and again!

Dr. Karin Müller

Lecturer for reproduction and animal husbandry

Prof. Dr. Patrik Zanolari

Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine

Prof. Dr. Dr. Matthias Gauly

Chairman of the animal science working group at the Free University of Bozen

Dr. Frederik Vanden Berghe

Vet from France

Dr. Henrik Wagner

Specialist vet for small ruminants at the University of Giessen

Prof. Dr. Thomas Wittek

University Clinic for Ruminants Vienna Clinic Management & Head of Clinical Department for Ruminant Medicine

Meetings, Lectures, Clinics

  • Thursday, 03/06 to Sunday, 03/09/2025

Thursday 03/06/2025 in the STADTHALLE (City Hall)

09 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Meeting of Associations and Organizations – organized by the NWK

1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Lectures in Veterinary Medicine – compiled by the NWK by Dr. Henrik Wagner among others with Prof. Dr. Dr. Matthias Gauly from Italy, Prof. Dr. Patrik Zanolari from Switzerland, Prof. Dr. Karin Müller from Great Britain, Dr. Frederik Vanden Berghe from France, Dr. Henrik Wagner from Germany, and Prof. Dr. Thomas Wittek from Austria. 

Topics

  • Laboratory diagnostics at the NWK – how does it work? (Prof. Dr. Patrik Zanolari / CH)
  • Feeding behavior and its impact on feeding management (Prof. Dr. Karin Müller / GB)
  • Genetic principles and diseases at the NWK (Prof. Dr. Dr. Matthias Gauly / I)
  • Further diagnostics – case studies (Prof. Dr. Thomas Wittek / A)
  • The current situation of camelids in France (Dr. Frederik van den Berghe / F)
  • Routine measures and interventions at the NWK (Dr. Henrik Wagner / D)

Tim Hey

Judge

I grew up in Australia on my family farm and in 1994 we purchased our first of our breeding stock. In 2002 I moved to the United Kingdom to manage a leading herd of white huacayas called Alpacas of Wessex and in 2006 my wife and I started Inca Alpaca.

I have judged the British Alpaca Society (BAS) show three times and in 2015 I was invited to judge the 25th anniversary Australian Alpaca Association National Show with the late Karen Caldwell. I have consulted on alpaca selection and breeding in China and has been in Peru twice learning from some special breeders and selecting stock for the UK market. I am also BAS judge tutor and get involved in organising my local halter and fleece show.

Amanda VandenBosch

Judge

Amanda VandenBosch has been raising alpacas, both huacaya and suris for 32 + years along with her family at Flying Dutchman Alpacas, LLC in Bend, Oregon, USA.

Amanda travels worldwide as an International Alpaca Judge, judging and teaching on all aspects of alpacas, fiber & end product. She has been active with many organizations and is co-author of “Art & Science of Alpaca Judging” and “Innovative Fleece Assessment Judging System” along with many research projects related to selection, health and wellbeing of the alpaca.

Proud co-hosts of 15th Annual Education with a Destination Event and Stanford Livestock International, Ltd export services complimented with alpaca retail store Alpaca by Design. Amanda is passionately involved with non-profit organization Quechua Benefit in Peru.

Amanda is an alpaca enthusiast in all apects from selective breeding decisions and raising of high quality alpacas to a passionate educator known for her interactive clinics and sharing of knowledge with fellow alpaca enthusiasts worldwide.

Dr. med. vet. Ilona Gunsser

Specialist in surgery and radiology

Saturday, 03/08/2025 in the ARENA, small Ring

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
AELAS Transport course, instructor Dr. Ilona Gunsser, registration on www.aelas.org

Ilona is a veterinarian specializing in surgery and in radiology. She has been keeping and breeding llamas and alpacas for 30 years, has also specialized professionally in these animal species and has published the results of her studies. She regularly participates as speaker at national and international camelid conferences. Ilona is a founding and board member of the associations AELAS (founded in 2000) and the European Registry for llamas and alpacas LAREU (founded in 2005), and has been active in these associations since then.
 
She is responsible for the events carried out by AELAS regarding the transfer of knowledge on the subjects of keeping, assessing, breeding and training of alpacas and llamas, as well as providing instructions for the transport of these species. In addition, she organizes the training of the AELAS judges and other events such as shows and working groups on Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI).

Andrea Rohrer

Breeder

Saturday, 03/08/2025 in the ARENA, small Ring

Color genetics of alpacas

The lecture, entailing examples and pictures, is aimed at breeders who either already have experience with color genetics or who would like to get an initial idea of ​​how color genetics can be used for breeding programs. 

Despite targeted mating based on color genotypes, surprising and sometimes puzzling results still occur. Thus, color genetics is more than the color genotype and the calculation of offspring. Even genetically black alpacas can appear brown to fawn and alpacas that appear white can be genetically homozygotic black. 

Why is that?

The two-part lecture provides answers and shows approaches that can be used directly in your own breeding program.

Part 1 – from Vicuna to “Ideal Alpaca” 

A genetic journey back to the beginning gives an idea

  • how early color mutations contributed to shape today’s ideal type of alpacas,
  • about the significance of a fading color across the body,
  • why identical color genotypes show different fleece colors and what this means for breeding.

Part 2 – Color Patterns

Color patterns are genetically completely different from the base coat colors. They can dilute or darken the base coat color; they can create spots or white areas with different patterns. 

This has led to descriptions such as Modern Grey, Pintaloosa, Appaloosa, Harlequin, Leopard, Classic, etc. But what is actually behind these terms and how does one differ from the other?

Here too, a look back to the beginning shows

  • where color patterns originate,
  • how we can specifically breed with them,
  • what risks need to be taken into account when breeding with color patterns.

Saturday, 03/08/2025 in the ARENA, small Ring

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Alpaca Color Genetics with Andrea Rohrer

Since 2014, Andrea Rohrer has been breeding alpacas together with her husband Ulrich Rohrer. The original goal was to breed white colored alpacas. But even the first offspring brought some surprises in terms of color. Since then, Andrea Rohrer has worked intensively on better understanding color genetics.
Initital research revealed different approaches for coding color genotypes, such as those of Paul, Koenig, Spoonenberg, Merriweather etc. However, practical application showed that these models offer helpful approaches, but could not explain all color variants and not all colors of the offspring. After comparing various molecular genetic studies as well as the availability of genetic color tests, together with the committed support of many breeders, allowed a comprehensive data analysis, e.g. the comparison of genotype and phenotype of over 500 alpacas.
 
On the basis of all these data, Andrea Rohrer has developed own models and terms that can be directly applied to breeding programs. These models enable practioners to understand, why some color genotypes have a higher consistency or a higher variance in basic fleece color. The models also show which traits are typical for a certain genotype and, finally, how color genetics can be effectively used for specific breeding programs.
 
Since 2022, Andrea Rohrer has been giving seminars on color genetics of alpacas and has published two articles in the AllesPaka journal.
 
 

Prof. Dr. Christian Kiesling

Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Physics, Munich, and professor at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich

Sunday, 03/09/2025 in the ARENA, small Ring

9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
News from LAREU with Prof. Dr. Christian Kiesling

Senior scientist at the Max-Planck-Institute for Physics, Munich, and professor at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich. Working with New World camelids since 1993, first with llamas, later also with alpacas.
 
Member of the board of the association AELAS e.V. and scientific advisor to the board of the European register LAREU for llamas and alpacas. Co-initiator of the standard marker set for DNA and parentage analysis of New World camelids. Scientific lectures at various camelid conferences, among others on determining the weight of New World camelids using body measurements, on the statistical evaluation of the LAREU register data in relation to breeding goals (e.g. fleece color distribution and frequency of use of breeding stallions), and on detailed analyses of the various methods determining the fiber quality in alpacas.
 
Co-developer and in recent years main developer of the software for the LAREU registry with its extended functions.

Sunday, 03/09/2025 in the ARENA, small Ring

10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Presentation of the breeding quality assessment of the AZVD

The breeding suitability test (ZEP) is an objective method to evaluate an alpaca in three areas: 1. phenotypic evaluation, 2. health evaluation and 3. fiber quality evaluation.

The ZEP assesses the alpaca on the day of the examination and cannot make any statements about possible changes that only occur over time.

The aim of the ZEP is to classify animals into categories that assess their individual suitability as breeding animals:

  • Category A is fully suitable for breeding
  • Category B is conditionally suitable for breeding
  • Category C not suitable for breeding (hobby animal)

31 phenotypic, 23 health-relevant and 21 fiber properties are tested and evaluated taking age into account.

The testing team basically consists of two phenotype testers and a veterinarian.

The following advantages arise for breeders and buyers:

  • standardized testing procedure by qualified examiners
  • defined catalog of criteria according to scientific criteria
  • Recording all deviations from the alpaca standard
  • veterinary examination for hereditary diseases and genetic defects
  • Fiber analysis with OFDA 2000
  • Certified quality control with results report on site
  • direct breeding value estimation
  • Reliability when breeding, buying and selling
  • independent assessment basis for reports

Every alpaca presented at ZEP must be registered using DNA and have a working chip.

Lectures, International

  • Friday, 03/07/2025 in the STADTHALLE (City Hall)
Top-class speakers will present a unique lecture program, compiled, and moderated by Robin Näsemann.
 
The program is designed in such a way that every participant can participate in all lectures. Presentations will be simultaneously interpreted.
 
Without all-inclusive ticket: Price for day ticket 90 € with snack, drinks, and lunch.

Dr. Birgit Fürst-Waltl | A

Leading Lecturer in livestock science at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Austria

8:30 a.m.- 9:15 a.m., Breeding Merit Indices

Dr. Birgit Fürst-Waltl is a Senior Lecturer in Livestock Sciences at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria. In addition to teaching and supervising students, her focus is on functional traits, the development and improvement of genetic evaluation and the definition of total merit indices within breeding programs. In this context, she cooperates closely with the relevant organizations.
 
She mostly works with ruminants but has also been involved in projects dealing with other livestock species.

Andrea Rohrer

Breeder

Color genetics of alpacas

 

Dr. Derik King - MD | USA

Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder of Alpaca Fiber Analytics

9:00 a.m.– 10:15 a.m., Research Results on Medullation (together with A. VandenBosch)

Dr. King received his BA/MD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1993. After practicing emergency medicine for many years, he managed and owned a physician practice management and malpractice insurance company.

Since selling his company, Derik has dedicated his time to understanding how camelid fleece can be improved to be more usable in the industry. By using his scientific curiosity, he has spent several years training on alpaca biopsy and histogram interpretation and analysis.

Christian Van der Ham | NL

Tourism specialist

11:00 a.m.– 11:45 a.m., Tourism and Alpacas

Christiaan Van der Ham, an experienced professional in the tourism industry, holds a master’s in international heritage management.
 
With roots in the tourism industry, he started working in education. He trains students for their career and coordinates internships together with a colleague. As alumni coordinator, Christian maintains close contact with university graduates worldwide. He regularly visits companies, trade fairs and conferences to keep up to date with current developments. His interest in alpacas was awakened by his professional network as more and more graduates immersed themselves in the sector. Christian recognized the growing relevance and versatility of the alpaca industry. Alpacas, with their sustainable fiber and charm, have a special appeal. Christian sees a promising future for the alpaca industry, especially in connection with tourism.
 
In his 45-minute presentation, he plans to shed light on this link. He will discuss company strategies and approaches that sustainably integrate alpacas into tourism and compare international examples. His goal is to show innovative ways in which animals can be ethically and economically integrated into tourism.

Matteo Meucci | I

Expert in fleece processing

12:00 p.m.– 12:45 p.m., Alpaca Fleece Processing in Italy

Matteo Meucci, with roots in his father‘s representative office in the alpaca and mohair sector, took his first professional steps at Alpha Tops SA in Geneva.
 
After that, he gained experience in Arequipa, specializing in alpaca fibers and worked for a short time on the breeding farm of the Inca Group. After his return, he took over his father‘s work in the representative office, where he still works today with his company Meucci & Co, and records sales of millions of alpaca tops every year. Due to a foreseeable crisis in the alpaca fiber industry, he founded Polipeli in 1988. With an entrepreneurial spirit, he took advantage of Prato‘s textile infrastructure and developed. Polipeli SPA to a global standard for weaving yarns with a high animal fiber content.
 
With a focus on quality and uniqueness, Polipeli has been constantly working to optimally process alpaca and mohair fibers using the latest technologies and machinery. The company has researched innovative spinning technologies and experimented with various fiber blends, always aiming to improve quality. This pursuit of excellence is also evident in their collaboration with a French mohair goat cooperative, producing and processing thousands of kilograms of mohair yarn every year.
 
Matteo sees himself as a pioneer in the textile sector and would like to share his findings and experience. His journey from discovering the potential of alpaca and mohair fibers to marketleading processing is impressive and inspiring.

J. Alonso Burgos Hartley | PER

Vice President of Colca Explorer S.A., Executive at Grupo Inca

2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m., Breeding Goals from Pacomarca’s Point of View

Born 1958 in Arequipa, Peru, J. Alonso Burgos Hartley studied economics and political science in Grinnell, Iowa. He is married and the father of two sons.
 
He currently holds several management positions within Grupo Inca, including Manager of the Genetic Development Division Inca Tops S.A., Executive Vice President of Colca Lodge S.A., Vice President of Colca Explorer S.A., and Director of Pachamama S.A. His previous positions include, among others, CEO of the International Alpaca Association and creator and president of the first Alpaca Fiesta in 1997. He has been working in the alpaca textile industry for 35 years.
 
In particular, he participated in research projects aimed at increasing the value of the alpaca fiber, with a special focus on white Huacaya alpaca and the breeding of pure black alpacas. These projects have been aimed to improve the living standards of thousands of alpaca breeders in Peru. Alpacas are closely interwoven with Peru‘s history. Their fine fiber can fetch the highest prices in international markets. The challenge lies in maintaining this status by increasing the value of the fiber.
 
In the future, he sees alpacas without guard hair and in special natural colors, especially black, as producers of valuable luxury fibers for international markets. In his 45-minute presentation, „PACOMARCA Alpacas Genetics in Black and White“, he will present the success story of Grupo Inca‘s genetic improvement project

Dr. Edgar Quispe Peña | PER

Managing Director of Natural Fibers Tech SAC

3:00 p.m.- 3:45 p.m., Fiber Laboratory in Peru

Dr. Edgar Quispe Peña, graduated at Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (Perú) in animal science. Currently he is professor at UNALM and researches animal breeding and camelid production.
 
He is CEO of Natural Fibers Tech SAC and has five patents for devices used for fiber evaluation, has more than a hundred scientific publications (details on Research Gate). He is referee and coeditor of well-known magazines, Small Ruminant Research, among others. His enthusiasm for alpacas is rooted in his social commitment: Alpaca breeding helps alleviating poverty, as many alpaca breeders live at the subsistence level. For him, the fiber properties of alpacas are impressive: good thermoregulation, softness, wear resistance, water-repellent and fire resistant.
 
In addition, alpacas are ecological animals that protect the soil and can live in difficult geographical areas. Dr. Quispe Peña predicts that alpacas will be kept worldwide in the future and could partially replace sheep. This is not only due to the valuable alpaca fiber, but also to its use in medicine, rehabilitation treatment and as companion animals. In his 45-minute presentation, he will talk about fiber density and medullation as criteria for alpaca selection.
 
In addition, he will present his fiber evaluation device, the Fiber EC, and demonstrate it on site.

Alpaka Show South and Fair

  • Friday, 03/07 from 5 p.m. until Sunday, 03/09/2025 in the ARENA

By the Alpaka Marketing GbR. The participating alpacas of the Alpaca Show South will be judged by Amanda VandenBosch, USA, and Tim Hey, GB (International Alpaca Show to be confirmed).

Lucrecia Lovera | ARG

Presents fashion from international designers

Alpaca Fashion Gala

  • Saturday, 03/08., 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. in the ARENA

Alpaca Fashion Gala – Presented by Lucrecia Lovera from Argentina. Experience the alpaca fashion of tomorrow from international designers at an impressive Alpaca Fashion Gala.

Stud Fee Auction

  • Sunday, 03/09., 12:00 p.m.- 1:00 p.m. in the ARENA

Alpaca stud fee auction with Petra Borrmann, Alpakas des Westens .An exciting auction of first-class studs awaits you live in the ring. You can place your bid by purchasing a registered bidding card, which will be available on Sunday morning.