There are approximately 20,000 alpacas registered in New Zealand today, while Peru has around 3 million alpacas, comprising around 90% of the global population. Alpacas were first imported to Australia from Chile in 1847, and some later made their way to New Zealand where they were farmed in Canterbury. Alpacas, llamas, guanacos and vicuñas are part of the camelid family, and over 3.5 million alpacas continue to be treasured in the Andean region of Peru, Chile and Bolivia.