The 1994 import from Peru provided the first Accoyo alpacas to the United States.
Julio Barreda personally selected the males that were included.
This particular shipment was of extraordinary quality.
Two Accoyo males stood out; Caligula and Pluro.
Tom Hunt knew that Barreda favored Caligula, and when he won the coin toss to select first, he made Caligula his choice off the top of the import.
Years later I asked Barreda why he had sent some of his best Plantel males in that first import.
“They were my business card,” he said.
“I didn’t want anyone to forget Accoyo.”
Greg Mecklem of Pacific Crest Alpacas could not get the huge male out of his mind. Soon after the import sale, one of Greg’s females, who had been bred to Caligula, had a cria.
Greg remembers it as the best cria he had ever seen.
He decided to call Tom Hunt, talk about the weather, an alpaca or two, and then casually ask if Tom had ever considered selling Caligula.
“I just did,” said Tom, “to two school teachers in Iowa.”
Greg sprang into action calling Irene Wherritt, who was one of the teachers, and talking her into selling him a ¼ share.
Greg rang me to ask if I had a joint ownership agreement for a herd sire male.
“Yes,” I said, “and be sure to insist on the first right of refusal clause in case they decide to sell their share to someone else.”
Greg did as I suggested, and not long after, he had the opportunity to buy 100% of Caligula.
Next Greg sold 50% of Caligula to Mary Goodman, and she won the Small Breeder of the Year award at the All American Futurity for several years running; mostly on the strength of Caligula’s progeny winnings.
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