Dr. P. Walter Bravo, a camelid expert, is a veterinarian originally from the University of Cusco in Peru. He speaks at international conferences and has published many papers and a book on camelid reproduction. He did his research at a facility called La Raya in Peru. The La Raya research facility is located approximately 3 hours from Cusco, Peru. Since the 1950’s it has been a center of llama and alpaca research. However, twice now the Shining Path terrorist group has attacked the facility. They destroyed records and years of research, killed animals and people, and set fire to labs and buildings. Unfortunately, the La Raya facility is not well-funded by the University of Cusco, and most of the buildings stand as they did in the 1950’s, now with damage from the attacks. Dr. Bravo is now a veterinarian at Camelid Veterinary Services in Findlay, Ohio where he specializes in camelid reproduction. He wanted to lead a group of camelid vets to visit La Raya, participate in some of the research projects, and help troubleshoot some of their problems. This January, a total of five camelid veterinarians went to Peru, led by Dr. Bravo:  Charlene Arendas (Lowellville, OH), Maria Jimenez (Springfield, OH), Larry Agle (Burton, OH), Toni Longville (Akron, OH), and Daniel Mora (Woodland, CA). For eight days, we traveled through Peru, spending time in the cities of Lima and Cusco, the La Raya research station, and the lost Incan city of MachuPicchu. From different backgrounds and locations, we were bound together with one common interest:  camelids.

Our Peruvian adventure began long before boarding a plane to leave the country.  A good amount of research about the country was necessary long before the trip. Peru is a very diverse country, having three different climates:  desert along the Pacific shore, mountains centrally, and rainforest in the northeast. Traveling through Peru meant packing clothing and supplies for all three climates.  While the days in Lima and MachuPicchu were hot, the highlands were very cold and windy. The primary language is Spanish, with the native tongue Quechua being spoken in rural areas.  A Spanish-English dictionary was a must, especially since we traveled outside the cities. The Nuevo Sol is the currency, and exchange rates were around 3 Nuevo Soles per $1.00. You can safely exchange US currency at MANY places, if you are in a major city.  You can get good rates from convenience stores, which are fairly safe, and the best rates from casinos and street exchangers, but this can be riskier.  Travelers’ checks are not worth the hassle and most places will not accept them. VISA is widely accepted at most stores in major cities. Most of our group carried all the cash we thought we would need in US dollars, in a hidden wallet or travel purse. The electricity is another issue altogether.  You’ll need a plug adapter and voltage converter. Sometimes, plug adapters are sold without voltage converters, but you absolutely need both or else risk losing what you plug in! Probably the best travel tip of all was to bring toilet paper.  Many places don’t provide it, so if you want it, hopefully you packed some. Just don’t flush it!  Their plumbing systems are not set up to handle it at all, and the last thing you want is sewage backing up in your hotel room.

Our trip began in the city of Cusco, at an altitude of about 11,000 feet.  We stayed at a small hostel for $18 per night. Our first day was a day of rest and adjusting to the altitude. At that altitude, there is about 40% less oxygen than normal. Your body adjusts by breathing faster and deeper, and your blood contains more red blood cells to carry oxygen. Altitude sickness can happen to anyone, any sex or age, and any fitness level. It can be as simple as a headache with shortness of breath, or as life-threatening as fluid in your lungs and swelling of the brain. I probably had some fluid in my lungs, since I had wet, heavy breathing and coughing, but I fared ok. Several people in our group took a prescription drug called Diamox (acetazolamide) which can help you acclimate to the altitude easier. But, never fear! Many public places have oxygen tanks available!

Cusco was an amazing city and is home to about 300,000 people. Unfortunately, it is also very poverty-stricken.  People sleep in the streets and stray dogs run rampant. A vet we met in Cusco said that people can’t afford to neuter their pets, so he prescribes human birth control drugs! Cusco is also home to hundreds of mercados (markets) around every bend. At the mercados, you can purchase all types of fresh and prepared foods, clothing, and knick-knacks. The most impressive of these foods is pan (bread). Most of the pan we ate was circular (12” diameter), unleavened, and 1” thick. Cusco is also a city where you can do all your souvenir shopping. Street vendors follow you around, trying to sell you their alpaca clothing, paintings, and postcards. Don’t buy the first souvenirs you see! Hold out for good deals, because you’ll be able to find the same or similar items later. Plus, you can bargain for better prices. If you have room, bring along some small items to barter with. I took about 20 small flashlights with me and bartered for blankets, hats, and wall hangings! After a day and a half of filling our suitcases full of souvenirs in Cusco, it was soon time to think about heading out to La Raya.

The road to La Raya is not the easiest of drives, but was at least paved. The trip should have taken 3 hours, but our driver got us there in under 2. That made for a pretty exciting ride! One of our non-Spanish speaking group members rode in the front of the van and was glad he didn’t know how to read the signs. The signs kept showing pictures of sharply curved arrows and read “Curva Peligrosa – Reducir Velocidad” (Dangerous Curve – Reduce Speed!).

When we finally arrived at La Raya, it was dark and freezing cold. We found that the building we were staying in was in disrepair. There were holes in the walls, no heat, no hot water, few lights, and the toilets were pretty gross and had no seats. Luckily, we were prepared. We all worked together to make our home livable and inspect each others mattresses for bedbugs. The nights at La Raya were very cold, and this was summertime! With 5 blankets on each bed, bundled in shirts, pants, socks, and gloves…we were still cold. It was going to be a long week!

Our first morning, we found that La Raya has a cook that feeds all the students and workers who live there. Our meals were delicious for the most part. Breakfasts consisted usually of a porridge, juice, pan, and sometimes boiled potatoes. Potatoes are a staple food – we had potatoes with most of our meals. They are commonly dehydrated, then boiled when used. Our lunches were large – we usually had soup, pan, and a main course of either lamb or chicken with potatoes. We figured out why lunches were so large – the last meal of the day was early in the afternoon! After that, there was only pan and whatever snacks you brought with you. Everyone drinks café (coffee), and it is served with every meal – but it is different that you would imagine. A small creamer container holds a thick, black, almost syrupy coffee. Each person drizzles a bit of this into their mug, then adds warm leche (milk) and hot water. A small pitcher like that makes almost 20 cups of coffee! Some of us opted for coca tea instead. Coca tea is made from the leaves of the Coca Tree and was an ancient Incan cure-all. The leaves (in large quantity) are also used to make cocaine. People commonly chew the leaves also. We tried this, but didn’t care for the taste.

The extent of the La Raya facility is nothing short of overwhelming! Seated on about 70,000 acres, we didn’t even get to see the whole place. We helped out with some of the current projects by performing vaginal exams, infusing uteruses, ultrasounding llamas, and performing necropsies. One of the males we necropsied had a hole in his first stomach compartment, probably from falling on a rock after fighting with other males (Peruvian terrain is unforgiving!). The other animal we necropsied was found with intestines hanging from her vagina in the field. She had suffered a vaginal tear. We had her for lunch the next day, and boy was she delicious! We practiced our Spanish by teaching the Peruvian ag-tech students how to perform different techniques. We also visited the La Raya “color herd”, whose sole purpose is to preserve purity of colors. In Peru, white animals are sought after due since they can dye the fiber many colors. Thus, colored animals were not valued and not bred for. However, the demand for exported alpaca products is for natural fiber colors. Thus, they are attempting to improve their color genetics so that animals produce same color offspring. Currently, 98% of breedings produce the same solid colored offspring. They expect it will take 20 years to reach near-perfection.

The highlight of La Raya was when we climbed in the bed of an open air truck, traveled a dirt road on the mountainside, up several thousand feet in altitude. At the mountaintop was a vicuna sanctuary! Vicunas are a protected wild animal in Peru and they are rounded up once a year for shearing. The profits made form the sale of their fiber (we were told it sells for almost $500/pound) goes back into protecting them. It was amazing to get to see them!

One of the big problems at La Raya currently is enterotoxemia (Clostridium perfringens type A) in newborn crias. In the few days we were there, they had lost 52 crias. Members of our group and others will return to Peru to help develop an oral vaccine made from the plasma of older animals that have survived the disease. This would be administered to the crias as they are born. This November the lab will be set up, then plasma collection will begin in January 2009.

La Raya was a blast, but it was nearing the end of our trip. We stopped for a hearty lunch of guinea pig on the way back to Cusco. Guinea pig tastes very similar to dark meat chicken, and is a bit greasy. The head is supposed to be the delicacy, but none of us were brave enough to try it. We finished up our souvenir hunting that evening, and got ready for the next day’s trip:  MachuPicchu! The three hour train ride from Cusco to MachuPicchu was amazing. You could see how the terrain and foliage was changing drastically as we neared the rainforest. Where Cusco has few trees and much rock and dirt, MachuPicchu was as green as ever and there were trees everywhere. MachuPicchu is indescribable and the pictures do not do it justice. The Incan ruins were remarkable, set high atop the mountains, and the view of the surroundings was breathtaking! After big day at MachuPicchu, it was time for one last big hurrah before beginning our journey home. We found a fancy little restaurant called La Parilla Andina (The Andean Grill), nestled in the back streets of Cusco. Their specialty? Alpaca steak!  Probably the juiciest, most tender steak I’ve ever eaten, I still think about that dinner and my mouth waters. If you ever get the chance to try llama or alpaca meat, don’t turn it down! If you just can’t do it, here’s a tip:  if you own llamas, try alpaca, if you own alpacas, try llama! It’s worth it!

If you couldn’t tell, I absolutely loved my trip to Peru! I learned so much about the country, the culture, and the camelids,. It is unfortunate that people cannot afford simple veterinary care. Most farmers cannot even afford to vaccinate their livestock once a year, even though the vaccine is much cheaper there.  They cannot afford the 10 cents per dose to buy it. Poverty is widespread, and to be a vet there you have to be a creative thinker to figure out how to accomplish your goal with barely any money at all. It was a very rewarding experience, and as I said, I am planning to go back this in 2009 or 2010.

Camelid veterinarians are needed for future trips to the La Raya research station in Peru!  Duties would include drawing blood, helping with lab work, and teaching ag-tech students.  Any knowledge of Spanish is a plus. Trips are being planned for February 2009 and beyond.  Even if travel to Peru is not an option, please consider donation of old or unneeded medical equipment, supplies, and drugs.  If you think your veterinarian might be interested in the trip or donating items, please have them contact Dr. P. Walter Bravo at pwbravo@hotmail.com.