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STAJICEVO, Serbia — A cafe in northern Serbia has unusual guests: six alpacas.
South American animals, of different sizes and colors, move among the tables at the Tiganjica Ethno-Village resort near Stajicevo, north of Belgrade, happy to interact with the guests.
The Alpaca Cafe opened here just a week ago and is a rare sight in Europe. The owner of the Tiganjica resort, Zoran Ostojin, said he got the idea in Slovakia.
“My wife and I were in the Alpaca cafe in Slovakia and we were fascinated,” Ostojin told The Associated Press. “We wanted people in our country to get to know alpacas and feel this animal and its energy.”
Calm and friendly, alpacas are known for their mild character and easy disposition. Although they are related to llamas and camels, alpacas are smaller, loved for their soft fleece and the gentle sounds they make to communicate.
The alpacas in Tiganjica mingle with the visitors who often come on organized tours to see the animals and spend time in their company.
Written on a board are house rules. Visitors are asked not to approach the alpacas from behind or take any food they have brought with them. Instead guests receive small buckets with carrots, lettuce and apples.
Visits must be arranged in advance and the cost is around 10 euros ($11.35), including a drink and a bucket of alpaca food.
The six animals are different in character, according to the caretaker of the alpacas Simona Frangi, who said that a black alpaca named Ljubica is gloomy, while Snezana is the leader of the herd despite being the smallest of them all.
“They are very sensitive to people’s intentions,” Frangi explained. “They feel that if someone wants to harm them, they will move away. But if someone wants to offer something, they will come close.”
Ostojin runs a small zoo within his resort, which also includes a restaurant and garden on the family estate. Ostojin said that everything started because he and his brother were taking injured animals over for care since they were boys.
The first alpaca came as a gift from Belgrade Zoo eight years ago. Ostojin said that he “really likes the energy, the feeling that this animal emits.”
“Almost like a healing ability,” he said.
