Animals in Argentina

Here are some pictures of animal friends we’ve met in Argentina.

Llamas:

We named this llama “Heather” because she’s clearly the prettiest, most popular llama on the puna. And she’s wearing red ribbons. Lots of them. Not sure why, especially since we came upon her in the middle of nowhere, part of a herd of less attractive, less popular llamas. We’re speculating that the ribbons and bows are the equivalent of a brand, allowing llama ranchers to identify the animals. We’re also speculating that Heather’s rancher is a 12-year-old girl.

Burros:

These noble burros and I may not see eye-to-eye regarding the music of Bob Mould, but I love them anyway. Burros are all over the place here. In Iruya, the mountain village where we’re now staying, they’re used to move food and supplies up the steep trails. Burros also roam wild, and will kick you if you piss them off.

Vicuñas:

Finally, I found my herd of wild vicuñas. Vicuñas are not llamas, but they’re pretty close. They’re svelter, have softer and shorter hair, and are used to make really nice overcoats. The fellows in the video above are part of a wild herd, pre-overcoat.

Tethered Dogs of Buenos Aires:

For the first few days in Buenos Aires, we kept coming across groups of dogs, like this one, tied to fences or street lights. WTF? Finally, we realized that there are a lot of dogs in BA apartments, and the dog-walkers walk quite a few at the same time. These guys are waiting for their walker to deliver one of their friends back to his apartment. If this were New York, two would be stolen, four made into soup and the other six run over.

-J