By Ryan Heaton
Chad and Colleen Warren''s best shepherd of their 250 sheep is tall and furry with remarkably long legs and neck, and comes from South America.
At first sight, you wouldn''t expect it to be much help against the fury of a pack of coyotes.
But ever since the Warrens have set llamas to watch over their fold, they haven''t lost a single sheep.
At first, Chad Warren was reluctant to even give the llama a chance --what would all the other ranchers think?
But the Warrens decided they had to try something, because they were losing too many sheep to predators such as coyotes and bears. Last year the death toll climbed to 61 sheep.
The Warren''s plight was covered on local and national news. When empathetic ranchers heard of the Warren''s problems, they approached them with the idea of using llamas.
So Warrens decided to give it a try, and haven''t lost a single sheep to a predator this year.
Chad Warren described the llama''s defensive stare as intimidating, and Colleen Warren said they think the intimidation factor is the biggest part of a predator''s discouragement.
'They get between the predator and the sheep -- they have an instinct to get the sheep behind them,' Mrs. Warren said. 'Then they stare (the predator) down until it leaves.'
As Chad Warren described it, llamas put their heads down, their ears up, and stare at the dog. When the llama spots a dog on the other side of the fence, it will wait at that spot until the dog leaves.
According to Colleen Warren, the llamas even intimidate their sheep dog.
'He gets uncomfortable around them after awhile,' Colleen Warren said.
Even if a coyote managed to get beyond the fence, Warren said it''s no match for the llama, which can run it down and attack it by using its front legs as a stomping weapon. Warren said, the llama has been known to stomp a dog to death.
The llama is also a good investment for sheep ranchers. A llama only costs about $100, and it lives 20-25 years.
The llama is also easy to care for. The Warrens simply let their llamas roam and graze with the flock.
'They''re pretty low-maintenance,' Colleen Warren said.