Helen Cowie is Lecturer in History at the University of York. She is the author of Conquering Nature in Spain and its Empire, 1750-1850 (2011) and Exhibiting Animals in Nineteenth-century Britain: Empathy, Education, Entertainment (2014).
"Llama beautifully weaves together the anthrozoology and cultural
history of four South American camelids--the domesticated llamas
and alpacas and their respective wild counterparts, the guanacos
and vicuñas--with their biology and evolution. From the use of
camelids by indigenous peoples for wool, meat, and transport to
these animals' modern-day participation as golf caddies, therapy
animals, and wedding-day mascots in the United States, the
narrative Cowie tells is at once sweeping and studded with
compelling scholarly details."--Barbara J. King "Times Literary
Supplement"
"Cowie's Llama is a very useful case study of the mania exhibited
by Europeans and Euro- Americans and Oceanians for acclimatization
projects, many of which have entailed unintended consequences. But
llamas have been fairly benign as introduced species go. Wool is
the main attraction, and still at a premium. But llamas,
good-natured on the whole, can also be used as petting-zoo and
therapy animals. And they are excellent in the role of guards. They
can't do much to intruders except spit on them, but they are large
enough to scare away coyotes and foxes, and their spit is nothing
to be trifled with."--Tim Morris "lection"
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