By RACHEL DAVIS

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rdavis@gctelegram.com

Lee Richardson Zoo's first animal birth of the year came in the form of a baby male alpaca, who arrived Friday, Kathy Sexson, zoo director, said.

Sexson said no one on the zoo staff witnessed the birth of the alpaca, on display at the South American pampas exhibit, but a zookeeper noticed the addition in the yard Friday afternoon.

Sexson said while the baby, who joins three males and three female alpacas, is the latest zoo addition, zoo staff are expecting another baby alpaca due at any time and a third in May.

Sexson, who noted alpacas are born after an 11-month gestation, said the leggy, dark-brown baby weighed 19 pounds at birth and baby and mother are doing well.

She said the alpaca herd experienced three births last year but only one of the young remain, with two taken to Albuquerque, N.M. The babies born this year also may be temporary residents of the zoo.

She said the young are sent to other zoos when they become three to six months old to guard against inbreeding and preserve a pure bloodline.

Alpacas inhabit high mountains, forests, and sparsely vegetated, rough terrain and plains from Peru to Chile and Argentina.

The animals are a South American member of the camel family and are related to llamas and camels.