It seems the most unlikely of business deals, but Harriston was the site of a recent international business deal, selling llamas to a resort in Israel.
Minto Mayor David Anderson spoke about that sale at the June 2 council meeting.
He had been invited to the property of Harold and Wilma Fisher, of Harriston to witness the sale of 15 llamas.
Anderson said the Fishers have been involved in breeding llamas for the past 20 years, and have had up to 85 of them at their farm.
“It is one of the largest such operations in Southwestern Ontario,” Anderson said. “I really knew nothing about llamas except for the llama wool. I got a bit of an education.”
He said “They’re used for an awful lot besides backpacking; they actually protect sheep against coyotes and wild dogs. They can be very territorial and quite vicious. It was quite interesting.”
Anderson said the deal for the sale had taken roughly six months to meet the regulations of the Israel government and the quarantine.
The llamas had to be taught to sit and lay down properly, he added.
“I’d never met anyone from Israel … We had some great conversations. It was a proud moment for the Fishers, and a solemn moment because they’ve been involved for so long.”
The llamas will be used for backpacking at the resort, he said.
