Charles — more affectionately known around Elderwood as “Charlie” — wasn’t supposed to have an easy beginning.
Born more than a month premature and weighing just under seven pounds, Charles entered the world with the odds stacked against him. He couldn’t regulate his body temperature, his mother wasn’t producing milk, and those first days became an around-the-clock effort to keep one very tiny alpaca going.
There were bottles. Tube feedings. A makeshift warming setup. A lot of sleepless hours. And, of course, Batman the Yorkie — who appointed himself Charles’ personal babysitter and rarely left his side.
We began sharing updates on social media with “Go, Charlie, Go!”, and before long, people far beyond our farm were following along and cheering for the tiny premature cria who simply refused to quit.
And he didn’t.
Charles grew from our little survivor into one of Elderwood Farms’ most recognizable personalities. His difficult beginning helped shape an entirely different role for him here: farm ambassador. Over the years, Charles has helped introduce countless people to alpacas and has become especially good at showing people exactly why we fall in love with these animals in the first place.
He also found his partner in crime in Our Boy Jimmy. The two became best friends and two familiar faces of Elderwood — proof that some of the animals who make the biggest impact on a farm aren’t necessarily the ones collecting banners.
Charles’ story began with people wondering whether he’d make it.
Today, he’s simply Charles — survivor, ambassador, Jimmy’s best friend, and forever part of the story of Elderwood Farms.
Go, Charlie, Go.
