Peanut the orphaned baby llama recovering after mother killed by bears in Peachland, B.C.

Michelle Gomez · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 8:17 PM EST | Last Updated: November 7

A six-week-old llama named Peanut is recovering successful a British Columbia sanctuary aft her parent was killed by bears connected Oct. 27.

Two bears attacked Peanut's parent successful the mediate of the nighttime connected Eva Sim’s spot successful the Okanagan assemblage of Peachland.  

Sim said her hubby heard the onslaught and was capable to pursuit the bears away. Peanut was unharmed. 

“She wouldn’t permission her mom's broadside until I carried her away,” said Sim. “I consciousness heartbroken.” 

Unable to attraction for a babe llama without a mother, Sim says she is grateful the Llama Sanctuary successful Tappen, B.C. — a assemblage located astir 150 kilometres northbound of Penticton arsenic the crow flies — was capable to instrumentality her successful the adjacent day. 

Peanut is pictured astatine the Llama Sanctuary successful Tappen, B.C., wherever she present resides. (The Llama Sanctuary)

“She’s a beauteous small baby,” David Chapman of the Llama Sanctuary said. “She got successful a unspeakable situation.” 

Chapman says Peanut refuses to portion milk. Around 1 metre gangly and weighing astir 15 kilograms, helium says she is underweight. 

But the sanctuary is moving with a veterinarian connected a feeding plan, and person had immoderate occurrence by soaking beet pulp, writer pellets, and alfalfa cubes successful beverage formula. 

Peanut is besides struggling to marque friends astatine the sanctuary, which is location to 63 llamas. 

“We’ve tried introducing different llamas to her hoping 1 of them would privation to beryllium her friend, but nary 1 has truly stepped up,” said Chapman. 

Chapman says Peanut loves to conscionable the different llamas and is inactive trying to marque friends astatine the sanctuary. (David Chapman)

He says she is presently surviving with a mates of aged pistillate llamas who let her to snuggle up adjacent to them. 

“She’s blessed to springiness kisses,” helium said. “She’s precise gentle, precise sweet.” 

Despite the challenges, Chapman says they are optimistic astir Peanut's future. 

He said the sanctuary has asked astir to spot if anyone has a pistillate llama who has mislaid a baby, and mightiness see adopting her. 

A invited surprise 

Peanut’s caller commencement was a invited surprise. 

Sim and her hubby had owned 2 llamas, Peanut’s parents, to support the sheep connected their farm. 

“She was precious to the full neighbourhood," said Sim of Peanut. "People came present and brought their grandkids to ticker her tally around.”

Peanut's erstwhile owner, Eva Sim, says she was a funny and saccharine babe who had precocious learned to tally and jump. (David Chapman)

She said Peanut had precocious started moving and jumping and was a funny baby. 

“She recovered her legs and with that came much and much curiosity. She’s a precise saccharine small character.” 

Sim says she is thankful for the sanctuary and is assured Peanut volition beryllium OK. 

“She’s with different llamas. That’s the astir important thing,” said Sim. 

“We cognize that she is harmless up there.”