Camelid exploitation, despite its economic antiquity in our nation, recently has awakened greater interest in investigators. Currently, there are more than 2,500,000 llamas in the Altiplano, which is the highest number of camelids on the world. Production is organic, with the llama capital of Bolivia being the department of Oruro. This work's objective is to determine four production parameters: composition and structure of llama herds, percentage of births, cria [calf] mortality, and crias that reach 5 months old, in 3 communities of Ayllu Pumasa of Saucar’ province, department of Oruro. The llama-raising system is traditional and herds contain more than 50 llamas per family. Exploitation of llama products still does not have much importance more than commercialization of llama meat in local markets. This study occurred with 9527 llamas from 60 herds, in which the composition of llamas by breed, class, age, and sex was determined, along with birth, mortality, and crias that reached 5 months old, through living in the communities that permitted specialized registration in adequate moments according to the llamas' behavior with families selected for this purpose. The analysis of variance reveals that the communities' composition is highly significant at P<0.01, as well as the communities' behavior, but the interaction between community and composition is not significant (P>0.05). The herds were composed of 26% lone females, 21% nursing females, 21% crias, 16% pregnant females, 13% ancutas, 2% studs, and 1% geldings. In reproductive management, the community does not intervene aside from pasturing in different properties to practice rotation during the rainy season. The breed composition in the communities is highly significant at P>0.01; the herds are of predominantly q'ara stock (42%), with hybrids at 39%, t'ajalli at 13%, and others at 6%. In the age observations, the females (nursing, pregnant, and alone) are animals more than 5 years old. The opposite occurs with the males, which are very young due to the commercialization of high-quality llama meat. Birth rates in the communities are not significant at P<0.01. The average is 34.01% with a 16.58% coefficient of variation. The communities' mortality is significant at P<0.01 between the communities, having an average of 2.58% mortality among llama herds. The variance analysis of crias reaching 5 months old at P<0.01 is not significant. The average was 92.51% in the communities' herds. The llama herds do not totally belong to the families living in the communities. The combined llamas belong to brothers and/or children (who live in the cities), and in some cases the community member is simply a guardian.

This study occurred in the Rural Academic Unit-Tiahuanaco installations, of the Bolivian Catholic University-La Paz, Bolviia, with the objective of evaluating macro- and microscopic characteristics of sperm ejaculation from bulbourethrectomized llamas. Six q'ara-variety male llamas of 3, 4, and 5 years of age were used over 8 weeks during which they were fed with natural and cultivated pastures. Ejaculate was collected with an artificial vagina with stimulation (libido) of male llamas by female llamas, for macro- and microscopic evaluation (volume, pH, color, appearance, motility, concentration, and sperm vitality). The results obtained were: average volume of 0.55[+or-]0.36 ml, with a CV of 20.2%; average pH of 7.53[+or-]0.42 with a CV of 4.9%; the ejaculate's color varied between crystal white, opaque white, and milky white at proportions of 50%, 25%, and 25%, respectively; average motility was 25.9[+or-]21.8% with a CV of 27.6%; average sperm concentration was 28.7x106[+or-]20.11x106 sperm/ml with a CV of 13%; average live sperm count was 31.8[+or-]24.4% with a CV of 25.3%; and the ejaculate an appearance of nonviscous fluid. The 4-year-old animals had excellent sperm ejaculations (macro- and microscopic characteristics) without differences between collection weeks.

This study was conducted at the installation of the Rural Academic Unit-Tiahuanaco of the BCU, located in the community of Achaca, third municipal section of Ingavi province, department of La Paz. It is 57 km from the La Paz-Desaguadero international highway, at 68 degrees 42 minutes 28 seconds latitude South by 16 degrees 35 minutes 41 seconds longitude West, at an altitude of 3856 meters above sea level. The study went from October 2000 to September 2001. The study consisted of determining the concentrations of the biochemical components in llama seminal plasma at three ages. Components studied were glucose, inorganic phosphate, creatinine, total protein, albumin, globulins, cholesterol, calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. Twelve male llamas of 3, 4, and 5 years were selected and acquired from the Choquecota area of the Carangas province, department of Oruro. Four animals were chosen at each age and were subjected to a training period of semen collection during 2 months, using the artificial hindquarters designed for this effect. The 6 that best responded to the training were used for the investigation. Eight collections were obtained from each animal over the course of the study, and they were used for laboratory analysis. The results were analyzed using a hierarchical factorial design that involved a mixed analysis (nested and crossed) of the factors of age and collections. (The averages of two collections corresponding to each week were analyzed.) Each weekly collection average per age was an experimental unit. Four experimental units were obtained for each age, and the analysis of the data was done with the SAS statistics package version 6.12. From the analyses done the following results were obtained: the concentrations of glucose (6.246 [plus or minus] 0.716 mg/dl), creatinine (3.459 [plus or minus] 1.27 mg/dl), cholesterol (67.28 [plus or minus] 18.21 mg/dl), potassium (8.249 [plus or minus] 1.78 mEq/L), and sodium (123.187 [plus or minus] 18.39 mEq/L) did not show significant differences between ages or collections (p>0.05). The concentrations of calcium (12.138 [plus or minus] 3.64 mg/dl) and magnesium (1.943 [plus or minus] 0.52 mEq/L) showed significant (p<0.05) differences in age only and not in collections. Globulins (1.574 [plus or minus] 0.51 g/dl) showed differences between collections (p<0.05) but not between ages. Total protein (3.732 [plus or minus] 0.45 g/dl), albumin (2.158 [plus or minus] 0.46 g/dl), and inorganic phosphate (9.42 [plus or minus] 2.42 mg/dl) showed differences both between ages and between collections (p<0.05).