...while the reality often works out to be something entirely other than "elegant," given the incredible complexity of life. Still, striving towards the ideal often produces insight, so it's not all for naught.
An example: if we are assume our alpacas would thrive given shelter, we're going to need to supply one, in this case a barn. This is a good solution to most weather problems that could threaten our alpacas.
Consider, though, these two things: now there are frequently walked paths, discouraging grass, encouraging mud; and these animals that keep their waste in relatively neat little piles may decide to put one of those piles in their barn. Yes, they are can be relied up to be rascals. So what do you do, assuming you don't want to be sliding in mud and manure every time you go to feed them pellets, and you'd prefer to limit their exposure to the parasites that frequent their waste?
There are a lot of potential solutions to this problem. We have chosen to put a raised matting filled with gravel: this gives us the sturdy walkway of concrete without sacrificing drainage or flexibility.
After a few weeks hay and dirt accumulate in the holes in the matting, restricting drainage and raising the real possibility that the earth will eventually swallow up our little tool, and we'll just be left with a raised mound of mud. So it entails it's own maintenance.
However, you can see with each step we're managing problems of lesser consequence. Ideally, we'll reach a sustainable solution: one that works with, rather than against, the natrual tendencies of the animals and nature in general. In the meantime, though, I'm not slipping onto my behind in poo-mud, so I can't say I'm not happy with progress.
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