Two llamas born within 48 hours at Glendeer Pet Farm

Spring has certainly sprung at Glendeer Pet Farm who welcomed their newest arrival - a baby llama on Thursday afternoon. Amazingly, it was the second young llama born at the Drum-based farm in just two days after Mylo, a male, made his grand entrance on Tuesday afternoon. "They're gas altogether, they are all legs," Kevina O'Connell from Glendeer Pet Farm joked during a visit by the Westmeath Independent on Thursday, a little over an hour after the birth of the latest llama, a white and as yet un-named gangly female, who was already wandering around after her mother in a large grass paddock when we arrived. "Within five minutes she was lifting her head," Kevina explained of the cute new arrival who is sure to be a hit with visitors when the farm re-opens for the new season on March 17. "It's a great time of the year - Spring - with all the new babies arriving. We had baby rabbits today as well and we had kid goats last week. In March we'll have the Jacob sheep," she enthused, adding that they also suspected their female monkey Gina is pregnant, which if it proves correct will be an exciting first for the South Roscommon farm. Originally herding animals from South America, mainly Peru, llamas are very athletic and can grow up to six feet tall when fully grown. They often weigh 250 pounds to 500 pounds and can live between 15 and 25 years. The two adult llamas Leah and Mia, who are mother and daughter have been resident in Drum for four years to five years and two years respectively. It's Mia's first baby but Leah is a bit of a veteran on the mothering front at this stage, having already had three or four children. The pregnancy period for a llama is eleven months and generally llamas can calve on their own without any assistance. The award-winning six acre Glendeer Pet Farm, just off the Monksland exit of the motorway, now boasts 50 different species of animals including emu, donkeys, wallabies and tortoises among others.