Legend Behind The Name...

The Pucara were an ancient civilization of South American Indians who worshiped the alpaca. Jude and Alan have taken that name because it most illustrates their empathy for the animal.

The mystique of the alpaca is no better illustrated than in the following Peruvian legend:

"...Pachamama (mother earth) loaned alpacas and llamas to the people of the Puna in South America so they could survive. Since the animals belonged to the Pachamama, they must be well fed and never treated cruelly and if they were not cared for properly, she would recall them and consequently the people would disappear..."

Now Pucara is part of the legend and although there are some four hundred plus in their care all of them have the chance of a healthy, well managed life.

Pucara runs two farms adjacent to the majestic waters of the Great Southern Ocean. It is in a temperate climate and was established in 1990 by a primary school teacher, Jude and her husband Alan , a national award winning builder and designer. They craved a more laid-back life style and immediately recognised the advantages of farming an exotic livestock that was easy to look after, promised good returns, and had an established name for its products.

By 1994 Alan was a national committee member of the Australian Alpaca Association and Jude a trainee wool classer who went on to become secretary of the Alpaca Cooperative Ltd (Begun and owned by Australian alpaca breeders with its job of sourcing alpaca fibre and manufacturing alpaca products for sale and export ). Jude is now an accredited judge who has judged in Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand . Jude also successfully completed the international judging course in Peru and, is an accredited USA Alpaca Judge with AOBA.

Alan and Jude long ago decided that they would source the best genetics that so many of their agistees and friends rely on. To that end Pucara have managed to acquire the very best animals out of Peru via the United States . Now, after starting out with just six animals in 1990, Pucara are importing and exporting stock to Canada and New Zealand and, in 2004 exporting Alpacas to the USA. In 1997 they imported their foundation Suri herd.

In 2001 with their good friend Chic Wilson of Noosa alpaca stud they purchased Roger Haldane's famous Purrumbete herd. Roger had been crossing suri males over huacaya females four years before the purchase by Pucara and Noosa. Jude Alan and Chic are dedicated to a cross breeding program of suris. It is quite possibly the largest cross program outside of South America .

It all sounds lavish and the travel can be fun, but in essence Pucara are running a business that hundreds of it's clients, mainly small breeders, rely on. This responsibility is not taken for granted by Jude and Alan who know that the moves they make will affect their clients and are ever mindful that all the Pucara network profits in their enterprise. For them it is seven days a week, sometimes twelve hours a day ,but as Jude says, "we wouldn't swap it for anything".

In 2001 Alan went to work with his good friend, Mike Safley of Northwest Alpacas in Oregon, USA. Together they set up the Ideal Alpaca Community and the Studmaster Program which in essence is a progeny improvement program for their clients. It was the first of its kind for alpacas and now boasts several members dedicated to using science to improve the worth of their alpaca stock. In November 2004 Jude and Al purchased a 100 acre property in the wine growing area of McMinville Pregon, to run their own US farm for Pucara Intenartional. This was a dream in completion for them. By March 2005 many of the suri stock they purchased iin the US in 1996-7 and their ARI registered progeny were exported back to the US.

Part of that plan was to replace the best of those US genetics that were leaving, and which were the backbone of the Pucara show team that did so well in the Australian show ring, with embryo transfer progeny. With some 25 ET babies now at the Pt Addiss farm the export group is ably replaced. More embryo transfer will be done in the US with future export back to Australia.

Jude Anderson..

Jude is an ex-primary school teacher. She retired from teaching in 1995 to run the Pucara herd fulltime.

Jude has extensive judging credentials. She is an accredited Australian judge, and is also the only Australian accredited as a U.S. judge. As well Jude passed the inaugural International judging school held in Peru , 2000.

Jude is a past secretary of the Australian Alpaca Co-operative Ltd and has completed a wool classing certification. She was also a past vice president of the A.A.A. Western region.

Her judging experience has been extensive. It has included assignments in Canada , many times at the U.S.A's major shows, in New Zealand , and all over Australia. Jude judged the US National Show in 2003, 2004 and 2005, with over 1500 alpacas. She also judged the Aussie National 2004.

Jude is now running a herd breeding and selection consultancy in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S.

Alan Cousill

Alan was a National Award winning builder before turning to alpaca farming.

His extended family had farmed Jersey dairy cattle in the South Gippsland for generations so he had an affinity to farming.

He sat on the A.A.A. National Committee for three years

Chaired both the National Show and Sale committee and National Seminar.

He sat on the National marketing, show, and import screening committee.

He is an ex-Western Region committee member.

Alan has also conducted marketing and sales seminars in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, Canberra, Tasmania and Victoria .

In 2001 Alan shifted to the US to help his good friend Mike Safley run a marketing and progeny improvemnet program called the Studmaster Program. This allowed their clients throught the Ideal Alpaca Community to communally track progeny improvement along sire lines. It incorporated building the first EBV's for alpacas.

As of 2005 Alan helps Jude run Pucara International in the US plus their Australian farm.

back to top