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The West has been home to an almost infinite variety of exotic species brought to the United States because someone is convinced that they can make money. If some of the introductions are accidental (grasses, tumbleweed, cheatgrass), many are deliberate (eucalyptus, ostriches, camels), including the llama. These generally docile animals, used for packing and meat in the Andes, came to California and Oregon in considerable number in the 1980s, and show little sign of leaving. For a time, they turned admirable profits as breeding stock. Now, there is less of an idea of what to do with them, although some breeders have turned to using the animals as pack stock in guided trips through mountain ranges including the Sierra and the King Range.
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