European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 19, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday March 19, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17 movable people Are really getting into them by Debbie Schupack United press International lamas rarely wind up on lists for birthday or anniversary presents but thousands of animal lovers around America Are falling for the Little creatures easy to please eating habits and temperament. And if you re the outdoors Type you can have a Home grown Carrier for All that camping gear. They re the easiest thing in the world you can raise said . Cook owner of the Cook Buffalo ranch in Concord . There Are no headaches. They just follow you around like a Little old  their real Appeal to animal lovers is that they re so companionable and easy to train said Marcia Coit Brock who raises eight Llamas in Asheville . They re not spooky like horses or kind of dumb like  Sam Granato general manager for the International Llama association estimated there Are about 10,000 Llamas in the United states mostly in the West. But he said the animal a member of the Camel family is growing in popularity and in number. Prior to 1982 they were owned by a Small number of people in the West Granato said from the association s Headquarters in Bainbridge Island Wash. Now the demand far exceeds the Supply. People Are really getting into  the association s Llama census shows the number of Llamas in the country increased from 3,200 in 1982 to about 8,000 in 1985. Granato said the increase can be partially attributed to More people registering their Llamas with the association As Well As an actual increase in population. Indigenous to South America Llamas were first brought North by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in the 1930s. Currently importation is prohibited because the animals can carry Hoof and Mouth disease. Llamas Are a livelihood for Many South americans who use the animals for Wool meat and packing Coit Brock said. Although Llama Wool is of extremely High officials say there Are some 10,000 Llamas in the United states and their numbers Are increasing. Llamas on a Black Mountain ., farm. Up photos Quality there is not sufficient Quantity for commercial production in the United states so spinning Llama Wool remains a Home Industry Granato explained. Economic investment is one Factor in the Llama s increase in popularity some breeders said. The Price of a female Llama has skyrocketed from about $400 in 1974 and $1,000 in 1982 to current costs of about $7,000 or $8,000. One female Llama sold for More than $50,000. The Price of a male also has increased dramatically from about $500 in 1982 to current costs ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. To me the investment is secondary Coit Brock said. But people Are buying them lately As Good investments. You can treat them like farm animals depreciating their value every  Michael Bleyman director of a habitat for endangered species of the third world in Pittsboro ., cautioned against buying the male Llama for a pet particularly on a very Small farm or in the suburbs. While the females Are extremely Sweet and docile and really quite Lovely an a neutered male often becomes aggressive venting his anger by kicking with his front legs or by an annoying habit particular to the Camel family of spitting. They re sort of like pet skunks Bleyman said. The darn things Are so cute but can get aggressive Early especially the  intelligence ease of care and Good natured personality Are the Llama s Virtues most often cited by breeders. But the Llama s real Niche is with outdoors people. Basically they re a Small agile pack animal that s wonderful for a three or four week trip Bleyman said. They re sure footed and they can live off the Mountainside eating whatever they find on the  they also have thickly muscled thighs for packing and leather padded feet that Don t tear up the Trail. Put 100 pounds on pm and they la go 12 Miles a Day everyday said Cook who owns 381 animals. Put 101 pounds on pm and hell Lay Down Best scale in the  Erma Bombeck for some reason i will never figure out Mostof the inventors in this country Are men who create products that Are used mostly by women. For those of us who must use these products the results Are obvious. The Man who designed the modern Day Iron for example never stopped to figure out that the Only women who Iron anymore Are older than 40. We can t find our glasses without glasses. So How can we possible see hot medium or Cool on the Iron without burning our noses same Deal with the sewing machine. Who was the humorist who thought it would be amusing to put a Needle at Chest level with the Hole facing away from us and a Light that blinded us when we came within Range it has always been so. Carpet sweepers were invented in 1876, with an attachment for All seasons. Most women would rather tight off eight merchant marines in the Back seat of a convertible than juggle All the parts of a sweeper. Curling Irons were invented by men which is Why a tiny screw that holds the handle on also heats up so that you have to not Only keep the Rod away from your Scalp but your fingers away from the handle. Neat trick. What they should have put a Heater on were the stethoscopes they invented in 1816. And you have already figured out that Only a Man would invent a see through covering to put Over your leftovers while they Are stored. Women never said they wanted to see their leftovers. Only to store them until it was time for burial. You have Only to look at a bicycle seat to know that a Man designed the seats without Ever having looked at a woman leaving a room. It is physically impossible to distribute a female form Over it. In 1892, men were onto something when Whitcomb l. Judson invented the Zipper but in their infinite Wisdom someone put the men s zippers in the front of their clothes and women s in the Back where they could neither see nor reach them. In a profession that is supposed to spawn mothers of necessity it is strange there Are so. Few women inventors but their discoveries have been of major significance. Jane Wells was the first to acknowledge children did not sit in seats they jumped in them and bounced off the ceiling so she invented the jumper seat. Margaret Knight revolutionized marketing when she came out with a paper bag with a Square Bottom that stood up when you put it Down. And who can forget Ruth Wakefield who dropped pieces of a Candy bar in her cookie Batter one Day and invented the toll House cookie. But my candidate for major inventor of her time is Elizabeth Flanagan an upstate barmaid who combined rum Rye whiskey and fruit juice decorated the Glass with a Feather from the Tail of her tory neighbor s rooster Handelt to a French officer and said Vive Lecoq s  it s been an antidote for Man s inventions Ever since. C 1986, los Angeles times Syndicate