Australian alpacas settle down in Shanxi

TAIYUAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 681 Australian alpacas have arrived in Yangqu county in northern China's Shanxi Province, local authorities said.

With the new batch of alpacas, there are now a total of 1,800 alpacas at the local breeding base, county officials said.

The local alpaca breeding base has profited from breeding, byproducts of alpaca wool and tourism related to alpacas in recent years. The alpaca economy has created job opportunities and helped local people rise out of poverty, according to authorities.

Alpacas are one of the major domestic animals of South America. In the 1980s, Australia introduced the alpacas to improve their breeding and fiber quality.