If you would have asked me 30 years ago what I wanted to do for a living, I guarantee llamas and suris would not have been my answer. Those days I was a double literature and philosophy major at the University of Oregon, and published my ifrst book of poetry. It wasn’t until the summer of my senior year that I even started to think about llamas, much less build a career around them.

That summer I took a job at the Oakland Zoo. At the end of my tour de animals, I’d been nominated for the prestigious American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums. Even though I grew up with American bison from age five, my introduction to other exotic animals, (including llamas), caused my life to drastically change.

Even though there wasn't much material available those days, I began reading anything about llamas I could get my hands on. I was intrigued. Then my great grandmother’s pioneering spirit took over. I began breeding and selling camelids on my own.

I opened my first llama farm outside of Athena in 1975. Appropriately enough, I called my little operation Andes Llamas. General knowledge about llamas was almost as rare as the breed itself, so I began collecting information from libraries and writing from my own personal experiences. I wrote my first newsletter on llamas, called "The Llama Newsletter" in 1978. I was also busy compiling blood chemistry and progesterone normals. Based on those studies, I was invited to study llamas and alpacas in Peru with the Agency for International Development small ruminant project at La Raya. I was the only North American breeder ever bestowed such honor. The entire experience was amazing. I worked with over 10,000 alpacas, 500 llamas and 100 vicunas. Although I didn’t fully know it, my career in the llama industry was taking off. Fast.

In 1981 I led the first llama owner’s tour of Peru, taking 22 gringos to various camelid breeders across the region. I also helped co-found the International Llama Association, elected its first president and wrote the first book ever published about llamas, Speechless Brothers. Over the next several years I continued to breed llamas and help industry grow. I imported llamas from England and set 12 world records when I sold my first herd of llamas in 1986. But in 1988 something happened that would change my life all over again. I married the love of my life, Cheryl. 

Cheryl and I first opened Tillman Llamas and Suri Alpacas in 1988. And we’ve been enjoying life to the fullest as camelid breeders ever since. We’ve bred national champion suri alpacas both here and South America. We’ve also bred numerous Top Ten World Futurity llamas. Today, I am editor for the Suri Network’s Purely Suri magazine and Cheryl donates a lot o her time by reviewing camelid research proposals for the Llama Medical Research Group and The Morris Animal Foundation. I can’t image life without our wooly friends. For me, following this path in life has been the best adventure of all. And I have no plans of getting off the trial anytime soon.