News : Woolly entertainment at VGH Nursing and Rehab

Nursing and Rehab resident Carolyn Berger feeds Mercury a peanut.

VINTON, IA —Virginia Gay Hospital Nursing and Rehab hosted some woolly visitors recently. One Alpaca and three llamas from Auld’s Luminous Llama farm stopped by for a visit on Tuesday, June 1, much to the delight of the residents. Llamas and residents alike enjoyed some time in the Mossman Family Healing Garden. This was the second time the llamas have visited Nursing and Rehab. “I’ve got a picture of me and Jelly in my room from the last time he came here”, resident Carolyn Berger said as she fed Jelly, the alpaca, some grain.

Owners, Steven and Sandra Auld, let the residents pet and feed the llamas and gave them quite a lesson on the history and personalities of the animals. The Aulds own 18 llamas on their farm north of Van Horne. Llamas are originally found in the Andes mountain range in South America. As the llamas made a noise, one of the residents asked why the llama was humming like that. “They hum because they don’t know the words,” Steve Auld said with a smile.