This past week has, yet again, been one of joy and sadness. I'll start with the sad - Monday morning we found our last cria of the year, Hank, dead in the pasture. We are baffled as to the cause. It was around 8* out, but alpacas are very cold-hardy animals, and he had his mama to snuggle with so I don't think it was the cold. After I sheared him (in the living room, as I said it was 8* outside!) he didn't look excessively thin - pacas are always pretty lean creatures, and he was still nursing.