About us

The Llama Sanctuary was founded by Matthew Yorke and Alexandra Mykhailova - llama farmers based in Pembrokeshire. Matt is a director of the British Llama Society and serves as their Llama Rehoming Coordinator. This role involves identifying and arranging new homes for any llama where the owner can no longer care for the animal. Unfortunately this scenario occurs all too often for all sorts of reasons - health, finances, change in lifestyle etc.

Over the years, Matt has worked on numerous llama rehoming cases where it looked like animals were going to have to be culled due to a lack of appropriate homes and facilities to relocate them to. A multitude of llama euthanisations have been avoided at the 11th hour due to Matt’s rehoming work, but these instances were becoming too regular and too common. As a consequence it was felt that it would be beneficial to have a base of operations for llama rehoming, where animals can be brought, trained, given medical care, and if necessary provided with a permanent lifelong home.

Matt has spent a substantial amount of time with some of the most experienced camelid trainers in the country, and as a result has developed a way of working with llamas that focuses on behaviour, balance, and leverage to set the stage for cooperation instead of relying on restraint and force. We never force a llama to do anything it is not comfortable with. Everything must be achieved with trust and mutual respect.

We are the only charity in the UK that specialises in llama rehoming.