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Checking
in on Billllama
Readers of the August 1992
issue [of The Backcountry Llama] may remember the story of Billllama,
a formerly abused pack animal, and the recounting of his rehabilitation,
culminating in Bill's first recreational pack trip.
Occasionally I am queried
about Bill's progress, and so I thought that readers might enjoy
an update.
As we expanded our volunteer gravel hauling
"crew," I kept debating whether Bill could handle it.
The work itself, of course, would not be an issue. Terrain has
never proved a problem for Bill, and I could easily control the
weight of his loads. The question was the atmosphere. Many strangers
would be milling about, making noise and perhaps not acting appropriately
-- a situation that mirrored very closely the one in which Bill's
former abuse had occurred.
After much thought, I decided that Bill deserved
a chance to overcome his fears. I would control as much of the
situation as possible, and Bill could stay at the parking site
with a personal human guard if necessary. So one frozen day in
February, Bill came along.
Bill was obviously frightened by the commotion
when he arrived, and I made a point to introduce him and give
a brief summary of his history to the other llama volunteers
(David and Marilyn Greenwalt), Ranger Sue Baker, and any interested
workers. Bill wanted to velcro himself to me, and I convinced
him to hug Ranger Sue as well (which she seemed to enjoy). I
allowed others to pet Bill on the neck if they wished, but told
them to otherwise keep a respectful distance and to talk kindly
to him, using his name.
On the trail, I encouraged people to talk
to Bill as we passed. "Good job, Bill," was the example
I used, and it caught on. Throughout the day, most people were
happy to pause in their work to praise or encourage Bill by name.
A few obviously found this silly and remained silent. When passing
these groups, Bill would tense, scuttle up behind Dusty, and
hide. I elected not to correct his position until we were well
past, figuring that he was in the wrong frame of mind to "hear"
my message, and that by continuing on, at least I wouldn't add
to Bill's fear -- perhaps then it might diminish with time.
After returning home, Bill's opinion of me
had not changed for the worse, but instead had warmed again.
Since then, Bill has been a permanent member of my "gravel
crew" string. Though he still skitters around when silent
or fast-moving people come too close, he accepts the rest of
the job, including unloading by strangers -- the latter with
some reservations. Overall, however, I am gratified once again
for my patience and forethought by helping Bill, now pushing
16, to take another significant step toward a happier life. And
Dusty and I have a rare treat -- a caboose that can keep up!
"Checking
in on Billllama" originally appeared in the December 1994
issue of The Backcountry
Llama Newsletter.
Return to Bill's page
Return to Llama
Rescue and Rehabilitation
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Llamas home page
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