As the year is coming to a close, I will continue a project I had started seven years ago: The alpaca advent calendar. Among my friends I’m known to be a fanatic for everything that has to do with alpacas. Because I wanted to spread this love for alpacas, I invited my friends to a facebook group in which I shared an alpaca-related picture each day from the first to the 24th of December. The year after, this group switched to a messenger and over the years, it got bigger and bigger. Since 2021, I’m not only sharing pictures but also facts to educate my friends about how amazing these animals are. But to be honest, you don’t have to know a single fact about them to fall in love with them. Just look them in the eyes:

This particular alpaca is called Lotte, and it’s one of the first alpacas I’ve ever met. She’s part of the alpaca herd of the Max-Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences (back then “Max-Planck Institute for biophysical chemistry”) in Göttingen where I studied physics. The herd lives on a large meadow next to the institute and is used for sustainable animal experiments (explained in this video, unfortunately in German only).

So, this year, I’m gonna make this advent calendar public for the very first time. I will try to spread alpaca love with the world while also educating you about these wonderful animals (it will not only be alpacas but also its close relatives llamas, vicuñas and guanacos). So stay tuned to this blog and tell the world. You will find all the information how to best follow this advent calendar on this page.