A llama at a North Carolina recreational camp for sick children has been declared the world’s oldest llama in captivity.
His name is Whitetop, and he is 27 years old. The Guinness World Records declared him the oldest following the death of the llama called Dalai Llama. Dalai lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico and had been declared oldest shortly after his 27th birthday in 2023.
Whitetop was donated to the Victory Junction camp in 2006, just two years after race car driver Kyle Petty and his family opened the camp. Victory Junction was established in honor of Petty's son, Adam, who died in 2000 at just 19 years old. He was killed in a car crash while training for a race.
The camp sits on 34 hectares in the Petty family’s hometown of Randleman, North Carolina. It is designed for children with conditions that include cancer, kidney and heart disease, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other neurological and physical disabilities. Their attendance at the camp is free of cost.
Whitetop has become known there for his easy, sweet and loving way. He lies still while campers pet him, which can comfort children. The activity provides the young people with important sensory experience, said Billie Davis, the camp's barn director.
Whitetop “really gets to help campers come out of their shell,” she said. "He can be kind of intimidating at first, but once they come over to him and love on him and pet on him, they just realize how sweet he is.”
Whitetop likes to roll in fresh wood chips, eat wet alfalfa and pose for selfies.
“If you try to take a picture of him from the side, he’s not into it," Davis said.
Davis credits Whitetop's long life to great medical care and exercise, as well as simply loving his job.
The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance says llamas live an average of 15 years.
Whitetop has developed the disease arthritis but otherwise is very healthy, said Davis. The only time the llama seems unhappy is when he is left alone by his friends, Gus-Gus, a small cow, and Jed and Jethro, two small donkeys.
Thirty-three-year-old Stephanie Wilkerson first went to the camp’s family weekend event in 2006 after she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She was a little nervous around Whitetop at first. But, she said, she soon realized petting him and giving him hugs made her feel better.
With Whitetop’s new fame, the camp has started selling clothing covered in images of Whitetop wearing sunglasses. All the money made from sales goes to supporting the camp.
I’m Caty Weaver.
