Gandalf, along with his buddy Gus, joined Robin’s Nest in July 2022 and has finally found his forever home! RNR helped a neighbor adopt these charming Huacaya alpacas after their retirement from a vet tech school in San Diego, where they spent many years as practice animals. When their neighbor moved and couldn’t take them along, we knew RNR would be their final sanctuary.

Gandalf is named after the wizard from The Lord of the Rings, and the name suits him perfectly. If you catch a glimpse of Gandalf, you’ll notice his distinctive head tilt, giving him a regal and knowing appearance, even from afar.

Gandalf tends to stick close to Gus—unless Gus gets too adventurous, that is. While he usually prefers to keep a safe distance from humans, he’s gradually becoming more comfortable joining in on the action. It’s clear that both Gandalf and Gus are thriving in their spacious, forever home—free from any more practice procedures!

Alpaca Fun Fact:

Alpacas have been in the U.S. only since 1984. They are one of six animals that are part of the camel family known as Camelidae. Their ancestors evolved in North America nine to eleven million years ago, although distant relatives go back as far back as 35 million years. Peru accounts for the world’s largest alpaca population, with about 3.8 million. The U.S. has about 192,000.