Dannevirke: Special pet can never be replaced

Jenny and Paul Read with the first llamas, Torkel and Chico, to come into the district in 1996. Photo/Christine McKay

For 18 years Chico has been an icon for thousands of motorists on State Highway 2 at Norsewood.

Cars have slowed, some have stopped and others have pulled into the driveway of Jenny and John Read's rural home, drawn to the property by the sight of Chico, the llama, eyeballing them from the fence.

Chico came to the Reads' property early in 1996, with his brother Torkel aged six months. The pair were the first llamas in the district.

Sadly Torkel died soon after his arrival, leaving Chico alone, but very content, in the roadside paddock.

"We've always had plenty of people stopping and looking at him and I think he's the most photographed llama in New Zealand," Mrs Read said.

While the average lifespan for llamas is 15 years, Chico was in his 19th year when he died last Monday.

His death has left the Reads devastated.

"The paddock and our hearts are empty," Mrs Read said.

"Chico always took everything in his stride and knew when an earthquake was coming, but not on Monday."

The Reads said Chico was looking very tired last Saturday and on Sunday went down, dying on anniversary day Monday, the day of the Eketahuna earthquake.

"It was very sad, awful, and there were a lot of tears," Mrs Read told the Dannevirke News.

"Chico had slowed down a lot, but he was the king of the place and we'd never be able to replace him. He was such a character, very aloof, but if there were any roadworks or flashing lights on the road he would be there at the fence watching."

And it hasn't just been the Reads missing the doe-eyed Chico.

"On Tuesday a family called in on their way home to Woodville and asked where he was," Mrs Read said. "The kids were so sad when they heard what had happened because they always liked to chatter to Chico through the fence."

Chico and his brother came to the Reads after Mrs Read saw llamas on television and fell in love. "Llamas have big alluring eyes, but when we first got them we didn't know what we were in for as there weren't even any alpaccas around the district then. I was going to open a little petting zoo, but that fell through because of the expense, so we just enjoyed them ourselves. But people came to see them all the same and Chico was a regular at the children's zoo at the A&P Show for a number of years."

While not one to spit, unless he was angry, Chico caught one visitor unawares with some foul-smelling gastric juices once, Mrs Read said. "Chico went blurp over a young guy who tried to ride him, before I could get there and say no," she said.

"His mates put the chap in the boot of the car for the rest of their journey because he stank."

However, unlike some other llamas, Chico wasn't difficult to shear.

"We'd put a pillowcase over his head so he didn't spit and my husband John would shear him with clippers," Mrs Read said.

Chico was about to be shorn again at the time of his death and Mrs Read has kept a piece of his fleece as a memento.

"We won't replace him because there could only ever be one Chico," she said.