36th annual national alpaca show taking place in Chickasha

Alpacas from across the country will be in Oklahoma for the 36th annual Mazuri Alpaca Owners Association National Alpaca Show.

The competition grades alpacas on physical structure and fleece quality, with winners being crowned in several categories.

The Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch visited Chickasha to learn more about the competition.

Jennifer Hack, owner of Triple H Ranch and AOA president, said she owns 70 alpacas, and loves them for their calmness.

"We raise them for their fleece, and they just have this really calming aura, I guess you could say," Hack said. "It's great to go out in the field. I have goats and I have horses, and they're just very relaxing to be around."

Hack said sometimes people confuse alpacas with llamas, which look similar in appearance, but the two have notable differences.

"They're in the same category, as far as you know, they're all camelids, but a llama is about 400 pounds," Hack said. "They're probably predominantly raised for guard animals. I have a couple myself for that purpose. You can use their fleece, but they have a lot of guard hair, and it's much coarser, whereas alpacas, we raise them for their fleece, they're a much smaller animal, average is 150 pounds."

Hack said the event is open to the public for free, and there are several days of competitions to come and see.

"There is a halter competition, where we judge them both on conformation and their fleece characteristics," Hack said. "Then we have youth participants, where they show for halter, they have a performance class where they have to go through obstacles, and then the best is their costume class, and that'll be [Saturday] afternoon."

Hack also said if anyone is interested in alpaca education, the event will have several opportunities to learn more about the animals.

For more information about the event, visit the Alpaca Owners Association's website to learn more.