Have an encounter with alpacas in Sabah

VISITORS to Sabah's cool Kundasang highlands now have another interesting attraction to visit, with the launch of the Alpaca Club, featuring adorable alpacas for guests to interact with.

Nestled in the foothills of Mesilou located next to the world-famous Mount Kinabalu, the Alpaca Club is the first alpaca themed attraction in Sabah with ten of the furry mammals.

Native to the Andes mountains in South America, alpacas are prized as pets and livestock around the world, and are the smallest members of the camel family. 

Being gentle, inquisitive, and intelligent creatures, alpacas are raised for their soft wool which is much prized fiber for artisans and crafters. Alpaca fur is very soft, does not retain water, is very durable and is the second strongest animal fiber after Angora goat hair.

Alpacas are also social herd animals that live in family groups. Being very social creatures, alpacas are very gentle and curious and with training can become great pets. 

Alpacas also hum when they are curious, content, worried, bored, fearful, distressed or cautious, making a sound like "mmm". 

It is important to keep at least two animals together as alpacas can die of loneliness. When kept alone, they become sick and eventually die. Therefore, it is advised that alpacas must always be bought in pairs if not an entire herd.

Alpaca Club managing director Gerald Soon said the lack of attraction in the Kundasang area for local tourists was what made them come up with the idea of bringing in alpacas.

"Actually, the idea of bringing in the alpacas is from me and my business partners. Because we noticed Kundasang is always full of local tourists and there is not much attractions for them to visit. That's why we try to come out with something for them to do in Kundasang.

"In the and we came out with the idea of an alpaca themed recreation centre. It’s something new for Sabah and a good attraction for families to visit. We are open from 9am to 5pm every day except for Tuesday and Wednesday."

The Alpaca Club’s animals were sourced from Australia. 

"They arrived in September last year from Australia. We are the first to have alpacas in Borneo and Sabah. 

"I can't tell you how much each one costs. That’s a trade secret," he said with a laugh.  

Soon said diet wise, alpacas are quite an easy animal to take care of.

"They are fed several different types of grasses and leaves. Dried grass (hay) from Australia forms a sizable part of their diet. We feed them three types of fresh grasses and leaves as well as well as commercial feed. So it's non-stop eating for them day and night.”

When asked why all the animals were short-haired, he said that was done in Australia five months ago by their former owner to prepare them for their journey to Sabah.

"The alpacas were shorn before they were flown in due to hygiene purposes as they were confined throughout the journey.

"Their fleece coat is also very thick and warm and each year they have to be shorn at least once. We have someone experienced to shear them locally."

Soon said the alpacas have been with a hit with visitors, especially children.

"Since 12th of December we have an average of 600 visitors coming to visit the farm, most of them are day trips.

"Now we have alpacas only but we are also planning to have rabbits soon where the rabbits are free to roam around the guests. We are also planning to bring in sheep to our place as well but not so fast."

Soon said for those interested, they also offer Alpaca themed activities such as wedding shoots, birthday parties or a lunch package with the alpacas being around guests.

"We also have two units of homestay accommodation for visitors who wish to stay the night which can fit six persons per unit. Visitors staying with us are free to enter the farm to visit the alpacas."

Comments by visitors on the Alpaca Club Facebook page show that most visitors find the alpacas cute and that they were a favorite for adults and kids alike. 

Soon said it was encouraging to see the positive feedback left by happy visitors.

When asked if they were any complaints, he said so far it was only about the limited parking space at the attraction.

"This is because at the moment we could accommodate only 15 cars at any one time. So now we are doing some construction to extend the car park to allow up to 35 cars to be accommodated at one time. 

“During this MCO we are taking the opportunity to upgrade and make new attractions including setting up a mini cafe for visitors.

Visitors interested to meet the alpacas can rent a car, book a Grab or take public transport to visit the attraction, which is located 15 minutes from Kundasang Town recreation centre Jalan Cinta Mata Mesilou, about 92.3km from Kota Kinabalu or about two hours drive.

Admission to the Alpaca Club for visitors is RR15 for adults and RM10 for children, senior citizens and disabled persons. – The Vibes, February 8, 2021